


Park or Peril

by authordjl



Category: None - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-11 04:30:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7028659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/authordjl/pseuds/authordjl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caroline and her friends are going on an exciting trip to Universal Orlando. Tina can't wait to see Seuss Landing, Matt is excited  for the Lost Continent, Caroline can't wait for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and Nate is looking forward to Jurassic Park. There is nothing more fun than a theme-park recreation of movie heroes, villains, and peril... until it all becomes real. Suddenly, all the movie characters are coming to life, personifying evil characters. What started as a fun vacation has  now turned into something out of a horror movie. Will Caroline and her friends be able to make it out, or will they be stuck in this time loop forever?<br/>This is a story I wrote when I was in the fifth grade, yet I never finished it. I revisited and revised it a couple months ago, and added a darker twist at the end. All main characters were made in  my head. All minor characters/locations are property of Universal Studios/their respectful owners. No Copyright intended. I hope you enjoy! New chapters posted every weekday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Day 1  
6:15 A.M.

Caroline woke rather quickly. She hopped out of bed and walked over to the windows, where sunlight was peeking through the curtains. She pulled one back, careful not to wake anyone else, and took in the breathtaking view of Universal Studios and Citywalk ahead of her. Caroline smiled. Today was the day. She had never been to Universal before and in less than an hour she will have set finally set foot in the amazing park which to this day she had only dreamed of.  
Caroline heard a click and a loud creak behind her. She turned around to see her guardian, Mary, emerging from the hotel bathroom, already dressed. "You should get changed," Mary said. "We're going to leave in about half an hour, and I still have to wake everyone else up." Caroline nodded and glided over to her suitcase, picking out a pair of jean shorts and a subtle fangirl shirt that bore the Hogwarts crest and read 'Hogwarts Alumni'. Caroline was most looking forward to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and had spent the last year leading up to this trip studying the park inside and out.  
When she had changed, Mary had already woken up her little sister Tina, who was now jumping around the room and talking some sort of gibberish about what she was gonna do in Seuss Land. Caroline's friend, Jocelyn had also woken up and was currently ruffling through her suitcase. Mary was spending a good amount of time trying to wake up Caroline's two other friends, Matt and Nate, who had come along for the ride.

Within half an hour, they were out of their hotel and walking the exotic path from the Hard Rock to Universal. The path was beautiful but completely deserted as they passed an array of palm trees and weeping willows, all surrounding a lake. "I want to tire Tina out a bit," Mary whispered to Caroline on the way to the park. "I know you guys all have enough  
energy to carry you through the day, but I just want her to stop jumping around."  
"Makes sense," Caroline said, glancing over at her sister who was still jumping and babbling about Seuss Land.  
The path opened up to Universal Studios, but Mary pulled an excited Tina away from the looming arch. "We're going to Islands of Adventure first," she said.  
"But whyyyyy?" Tina whined.  
"Because that's where Seuss Land is."  
"Seuss Land!" Tina screamed, jumping again. She ran forward toward the Islands of Adventure lighthouse in the near distance, pulling Mary along with her. Caroline and her friends had to jog to catch up with them, before Mary pulled Tina back and they slowed to a walk.  
"Now, guys," Mary said to the group. "The park officially opens at 8:00 but since we stayed at an on-site hotel, we can get in at 7:00."  
"Awesome!" Matt cried.  
"So once we give them our room keys we're in. Our room keys also act as a FastPass for most rides, except for the two big Harry Potter ones, the train, and the Rip Ride Rockit."  
"Cool," Jocelyn said.  
"The more rides the better!" Nate exclaimed.  
"All right, let's go," Mary said, holding Tina's hand as they passed the large rotating globe and crossed into the land of Islands of Adventure.  
The Port of Entry was very Middle-Eastern-type-Arabic themed. It reminded Caroline of the market from Aladdin. There was no line as they each presented their room keys to gain admittance to the park. Some cool exotic music played as they walked through the neatly designed market. They stopped at one of the benches in the middle of the deserted street.  
"All right you guys, so I know you all brought some money but you guys probably want to spend that on some Harry Potter stuff, or Seuss things, or Superhero comics. So I'm going to give you each $25 so you can buy some snacks, ponchos, bags, whatever's here that you think you need," Mary said. She handed each of them twenty five dollars. "Okay, I've got Tina. You four," she pointed at Caroline, Jocelyn, Matt and Nate, "stick together and meet me back here in fifteen minutes."  
Caroline and her friends headed first to the Island Market and Export Candy Shoppe, which was the first store on their right. Inside was an extreme array of fudge, caramel apples, chocolate covered pretzels, and all sorts of candy. Caroline knew she was going to stop somewhere else for breakfast, so she didn't pick anything up, but Matt insisted on buying some peanut butter fudge that he agreed to share with the rest of them later.  
Then they went across the way to the Islands of Adventure Trading Company, where Caroline bought a Universal drawstring bag for the day, and a poncho for the water rides. A little bit up the street was the Ocean Trader's Market, where exotic sarongs from India were sold, along with summer dresses, hats and sunglasses. Caroline wasn't a dress person, but she couldn't resist picking up a hat and a pair of sunglasses. Jocelyn, however, fell in love with a strapless floor-length pink dress and bought it instantly. After hitting up a small Starbucks at the end of the street for a coffee to start the day, they met back with Mary at the bench. The street was still nearly deserted. A couple of people wearing appropriate abayas, or tunics and hijabs were seen wandering the street, but they were few and scattered.  
Caroline saw that Tina had picked up a minion key-chain and that Mary had also bought ponchos for the two of them. She had also picked up park maps for everybody. As they poured over the map, Caroline grew worried. Why wasn't anyone here? The park was open right? This was the park, right? Finally one of the people in long robes passed by near Caroline. She stopped the woman. "Excuse me, are we supposed to be here? I mean, no one's here. Are we early?"  
The woman looked slightly confused. She replied in a heavy Indian accent. "No, is usually this way. Our Island is not usually too full, only around trade season. We no usually get American traders out of season. You traders, yes?"  
Wow, Caroline knew that the actors at Universal were great at staying in character but this was above and beyond anything she could have expected. "Uh, sure. Yeah, we're traders. Uh, thanks." She walked back to Mary and her friends, now calm. However, Tina wasn't calm. They were all standing up and getting ready to go to their next stop, and Tina knew all too well what that meant.  
"Seuss Land!" she cried, jumping up and down, grabbing Mary's hand, and dragging her along.


	2. Chapter 2

Day 1  
7:15 a.m.

At the very end of the Port of Entry there was a fork in the road. Left took you to the Marvel Superhero Island, but they  
took a right toward Seuss Landing. In the middle of the fork there was a giant lake, which was actually at the center of  
the entire park. Caroline didn't have much time to stop and look, but she knew from pictures that if you stood at any part  
of the lake you could see every island in the park from that one point.  
Caroline, Jocelyn, Matt and Nate trailed behind Mary and an excited Tina. "No one's here," Jocelyn said. "It's pretty  
nice."  
"Yeah," Matt said. "I mean, we won't even need to use our Fast-Passes!"  
"We can literally ride everything three times before people get here at 8!" Nate added.  
"Yeah," Caroline said half-heartedly. She knew what the lady had told her, but something was still nagging at the back  
of her head. Something wasn't right.  
"Hey, what's wrong?" Matt asked, putting his arm around Caroline's shoulder.   
"Nothing," she replied in the same half-hearted tone.  
Suddenly, Matt stopped. Nate and Jocelyn kept walking. "Caroline, what's wrong?" She didn't say anything. "You were so  
excited to be here an hour ago. What happened?"  
"I don't know, it's just, no one's here," she said. Now that it had come out of her mouth, she felt even stupider than  
she had when she was just thinking it.  
"Exactly! It's great!" he cried.  
"No, it's just. I feel like something's wrong," she said. "Like, theme parks are never empty. Especially this one!  
Doesn't this all seem a little strange to you?"  
"I guess, but the park also hasn't opened yet; people will be pouring in in like forty minutes. Everything's fine," he  
assured her.  
She nodded and gave him a little smile. She still had that sinking feeling in her stomach, but didn't want to ruin  
everyone else's vacation just because a little anxiety got the best of her.  
"Come on, let's catch up with Nate and Jocelyn." He gave her a little one-arm hug and walked her up to Nate & Jocelyn,  
who had stopped to wait for them.  
"You okay?" Jocelyn asked.  
"Yeah, just anxiety, I guess," Caroline replied.  
"Okay...You'd tell me if something was wrong right?" she prompted.  
"Yeah."  
Jocelyn smiled. "Okay, c'mon. Tina's been ogling at the Seuss arch for the past two minutes. Mary won't let her go in  
without us, and she's starting to get antsy."  
Sure enough, Tina was hopping from foot to foot, not taking her eyes off of the arch that marked the entry to Seuss  
Landing. "Seuss Land!" she cried multiple times. Once Caroline had caught up to her, Tina looked her in the eye, still  
jumping, and screamed it again. "Seuss Land!"  
Mary sighed. "All right Tina let's go." She looked at Caroline. "I really hope this tires her out enough." And then,  
she was being pulled by an over-energetic Tina into the colorful world of Dr. Seuss.

Tina bolted to the first thing she saw upon entering, which was a large carousel. She ran around it in circles until she   
came across the entrance in the back. "Caro-Seuss-el! Caro-Seuss-el!" As she jumped around, pointing at the ride, the rest  
of the group slowly caught up. Caroline, along with the others, gaped in awe, taking in what the Universal team had  
created. There was not a single straight line in this Island, and it seemed like almost all of Dr. Seuss's creations had  
been brought to life. What else could satisfy a six year old's innocent heart?  
There was, undoubtedly, no queue for the carousel, and Tina hopped right on. However, this carousel looked a little  
funky to Caroline. Instead of plastic animals, there were real animals, and they weren't attached to the poles like they  
would be on any other carousel. "Um, is this safe?" she asked the ride attendant, who was dressed in full-on Seuss-wear.  
"Don't you worry dear," he said in a kooky voice. "This ride is completely harmless. We've trained the animals to walk  
in a circle, and they're so trained, they don't need a harness."  
"Okay..." Caroline replied, following Tina onto the ride. She picked a purple hippo, and Tina picked a green monkey.  
Was Unviersal so immersive that they made their Seuss employees talk in rhymes and weird voices. If so, she wasn't sure  
how much she could take. Her friends stayed off and just observed the ride; Caroline didn't blame them. It was rather   
bland and the animals moved really slowly. They seemed bored, however Tina was the exact opposite. With one hand she held  
on and with the other she waved to Caroline's friends and the otherwise empty park. In a few minutes, the ride was done,  
and Tina, Mary and Caroline climbed off and regrouped with Jocelyn, Matt and Nate. Tina was jumping up and down about  
something else now.  
"What is it now?" Nate asked as they followed Tina and Mary around the Caro-Seuss-el to a play area.   
"Something about If I Ran the Zoo," Caroline replied. She caught up to Tina and took her hand as she explored the play  
area. Mary sat down at a table at Green Eggs and Ham Cafe, already winded from Tina dragging her around. Caroline's  
friends joined her.   
They started walking down a path with hedges on either side, and eventually came to a wall that said, "I'll sail to  
the tropical isle of Ka-troo, and I'll bring back an It Kutch, a Preep and a Proo. There were three holes in a wooden boat  
next to the sign and out peeped an It Kutch, Preep and Proo. Tina gaped for a moment, and then they continued walking.  
A cage came up on their right, and the sign read,  
"In a cave in Kartoom  
Lives a beast called a Natch  
That no other Hunter's  
Been able to catch   
He's hidden for years  
In his cave with a pout  
And no one's been able  
To make him come out  
(can you?)"  
Tina peeked in and saw nothing, but then there was a sudden movement, and Caroline quickly pulled her away, getting  
nervous again.  
They rounded another corner and Caroline immediately lost Tina, who had run into McGrew's Zoo, which was the play area.  
Oh, there were stairs and ropes and kooky trees, tables and animals. There were tunnels of Zomba-ma-tent, and even a cage  
to try and catch the Natch. Caroline also noticed a multi-humped cow, and that you could play on the tummy of Tic-Tac Joe.  
The Green Eggs and Ham Cafe was right outside the Zoo, and someone dressed as Sam-I-Am (an incredibly accurate costume)  
was trying to get Mary, Jocelyn, Matt and Nate to try some Green Eggs and Ham. They denied each offer, eating them in a  
house, with a mouse, here, there, anywhere, and Caroline could tell they were starting to get annoyed. Hopefully Tina  
wouldn't take too long in the play area... Hopefully they could find her.  
Caroline walked over to the Cafe and advised Mary to just buy some green eggs and ham so he would stop bothering her,   
and asked Matt if he wanted to come with her to find and watch Tina.  
"She's got ten minutes," Mary said. It was 7:25. Matt and Caroline re-entered McGrew's Zoo and instantly found Tina on  
top of a yellow slide.   
"Weeeee!" She slid down, and ran up to Caroline. "I run the zoo!" she cried.  
Caroline laughed. "Yes you do." Tina jumped a bit and looked around for the next thing on her list. There were plenty  
of odd blue and purple animals, all of which were real. She ran around petting them.  
"She's a nut, she is," Matt said as they watched Tina run around, not losing a bit of energy.  
"I don't know how she does it," Caroline said honestly.  
"Mm, yeah." Matt looked around. "You know I can't wait to get to the Lost Continent. Remember the Greek Mythology unit  
in Ms. McKelly's English class two years ago?"  
"Yeah," Caroline said. "Ugh, freshman year. Man, that year sucked."  
"Mm, I don't think anyone really enjoys that year."  
"True."  
"On the bright side, we only have one more year til we're outta here for good."  
"Yeah. I can't wait to get out of Haddam, but I don't know how I'll be able to leave you guys."  
"We'll still see each other around," Matt said as Tina ran past them. "It's a small world."  
"I guess." Caroline's phone vibrated. It was Mary 'where r u?'. Uh oh, it was 7:40. Tina's ten minutes were long up.  
Caroline replied 'leaving now' and set off to find her sister.  
Naturally, Tina protested leaving, but when Caroline bribed her with green eggs and ham, she instantly consented. Tina  
nearly ran to Mary's table which had just a little bit of the breakfast left over, and three glasses of green milk...ew.  
Once Nate and Jocelyn assured Caroline it was only green food coloring, however, she downed it, and picked at the eggs  
and ham. Tina gobbled it up in two bites. Caroline looked at Nate and Jocelyn and could tell that they were extremely  
bored, so she decided to apologize to her friends. "You guys, I'm really sorry that we're spending so much time in here,"  
she said sincerely. "It's the one thing Tina wanted to do, and I know I'm doing all the stuff with her but, like, I'm her  
sister." Oh, god, was she starting to rhyme now too?  
Maybe it was just her anxiety getting to her, because no one else seemed to notice. "It's all right, I get it," Jocelyn  
said.  
"Yeah, it's kinda nice for us to not have to expend so much energy so early in the morning," Nate said.  
"Besides, if this is the only thing that can calm her down, it's worth it." Matt smiled at Caroline, and she returned  
the favor.  
"Hey," Jocelyn said to everyone, "Why don't we take the trolley ride to see what else you want to ride Tina? It's right  
over there." she pointed to a building down the street on the other side of the Caro-Seuss-el.  
"Yeah yeah yeah!!!!" Tina cried, jumping up from her seat.  
"Okay why don't I take Tina on the ride and you guys can stay here or shop or whatever," Mary said.  
"Are you sure?" Caroline asked. Mary already looked so drained.  
"Yeah, I'll meet you guys at the Cat in the Hat store in ten minutes." Without another word, Tina whisked her off to   
the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride.  
"They really go all out here, don't they?" Jocelyn remarked, staring at her green milk as she sipped it through a green  
straw.  
"Yeah, it's kinda freaky," Nate said.  
"Yeah, freaky," Caroline added. At least she was having a good time and the anxiety was starting to go away.  
"Hey, you guys!" Jocelyn cried. "We have time, and the lake's right over there! Want to go look?"  
"Sure!" Nate said, and they all stood up.

It was true, you could see every single island from any lake-view point. Caroline saw the green track of the Incredible  
Hulk Coaster, the purple peak of Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, the green dome of the Jurassic Park Discovery Center, and  
the brown turrets of Hogwarts Castle. It just gave her a warm, hearty feeling inside and she gave in to the urge to take a  
beautiful panorama shot.  
"Guys, we should get a picture together!" Matt cried.  
Everyone seemed down, so they looked around for someone to take the picture. After a couple seconds, the ride attendant  
for the Caro-Seuss-el passed by. "Excuse me, sir!" Caroline cried. He stopped and looked at her. "Would you mind taking a   
picture for us please?" she held out her phone.  
"What is this?" he replied in his weird voice. "I have never seen such a device. It's so small, and cool and nice."  
"Uh, yeah, thanks. Uh," She slid open her phone to the camera and showed him the screen. "Just, when we say go, press  
that white button."  
"Oh good fun! How many times? Just one?"  
"Yeah, one's good," she said, filing into a line with Nate, Jocelyn and Matt in front of the lake.  
"Okay, go!" she said. They all smiled and the man pressed the button rather violently. Caroline hoped the picture came  
out okay.  
"Here you go girl, and have a great day. Do spend your time, and do please stay." He gave Caroline her phone, along   
with a creepy smile.  
"Oh, um, okay, thanks." She took her phone and watched uncomfortably as he strutted away. Luckily, the picture turned  
out great.  
Caroline checked the time. It was 7:50. "We should head over to the store," she said. "Mary and Tina'll be meeting us  
there any minute.  
So, the four of them walked past the Cafe, past the Zoo, and past the Caro-Seuss-el, and came across the store called  
Cats, Hats and Things. "This must be it," Caroline said, and they entered. Inside was an arrangement of Dr. Seuss mugs,  
shirts, and plush toys, which Caroline could swear she saw blink a couple times. There was also key-chains, magnets, cups  
and lanyards. Caroline thought that she should get something little from here, just so she had a souvenir, even if this  
wasn't the main reason she came here. So she picked up a Cat in the Hat lanyard. Jocelyn and Nate bought mugs, and Matt  
refrained from buying anything, as he was saving his money for other islands.  
Just as Caroline was about to ask Mary where they were, Tina burst into the store, followed by a Mary who looked like  
she'd gained some energy. "I saw the Cat! I saw the Cat!" Tina cried.  
"We had time so we went on Cat in the Hat," Mary explained. "And the animations were amazing! The Cat and the Things  
looked incredibly real."  
"That's so cool!" Caroline said, trying to be enthusiastic.  
"So what did you guys get?" Mary asked, nodding at the bags.  
"Lanyards, mugs, nothing too big," Caroline said, glancing over at Tina who had found great pleasure in running in and  
out of the rows of t-shirts.  
Mary strode over to her. "You want a Thing 1 shirt?" she asked.  
"Yeah yeah Thing 1 Thing 1!" Tina cried enthusiastically.  
"All right." Mary pulled a child medium off the rack. "Tina, you have to stand still so we can see if it will fit." She  
held it up to Tina, who had stopped jumping, and examined it. "It looks like it'll fit perfectly. Is this what you want?"  
"Yeah yeah yeah!" Tina cried, resuming her jumping.  
"Okay." Mary strode over to the register, picking up a key-chain that had a replica of the Seuss Landing sign on it.  
Once they had paid, Tina immediately put on her new shirt, and then went on about how she wanted to ride 'two fish blue  
fish', so Mary took her over to One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, which looked similar to the Magic Carpet ride in  
Disney.  
Jocelyn volunteered to ride with Tina, and Mary looked so grateful as they got on and she was able to sit again.  
Caroline, Matt and Nate joined Mary as the ride started up. The fishes' tails and fins actually moved; it was like they  
were swimming through the wind.  
When Jocelyn escorted Tina off, she had one remark, "Universal's really outdone themselves. The animatronic Seuss  
characters come to life and talk to you directly. I can't believe they recorded responses to absolutely everything!  
She asked where Thing 1 was born, and he had an answer!" Tina giggled.  
"Ok, well," Mary said, standing up. "I think we've done just about everything on this Island-" Tina began to whine  
"-except for one last thing."  
"What?" Tina asked.  
"Cm'ere," Mary said, grabbing Tina's hand. For once, Mary was able to lead the way as a curious Tina walked alongside  
her, and Caroline and her friends followed. They eventually came face to face with a little shop on the corner called 'Hop  
on Pop Ice Cream Shoppe'.  
Tina started jumping again. "Ice cream!" Tina ordered dip 'n dots, and Caroline got a simple vanilla and chocolate  
sundae.  
"Tina, why don't you finish that up while we keep walking," Mary said. Caroline could tell what Mary was doing. She was  
keeping Tina indulged in Seuss Landing while they left, so she wouldn't realize they were gone until it was too late.


	3. Chapter 3

Day 1  
8:15 a.m.

The kooky music and vibrant color of Seuss Landing faded behind them as they left the land (thank god, the rhyming was  
starting to get to Caroline) and crossed a bridge (which was an excellent lake-view point) to come face to face with what  
looked like a giant golden eagle clad in armor sitting proudly with a torch. He nodded to Caroline as she walked by.  
"It's really interactive here," Jocelyn whispered. "It's really cool!"  
"Kinda weird though," Caroline noted.  
Matt tapped her shoulder excitedly. "This is the Lost Continent!" he squealed quietly, trying to hold in his  
excitement.  
"Wow, everyone's just having a blast today, aren't they?" Jocelyn remarked sarcastically.  
The first thing they saw on their way into this Island was a giant building carved out of rock. It looked like the gods  
themselves could've made it, and what Caroline guessed was Zeus' head was in the center, pouring water out of its mouth.  
"I wonder what's in there!" Matt cried. As they got nearer he ran to the door, but jumped back as soon as he touched the  
handle. "It shocked me!" he complained loudly.  
Caroline noticed a sign that Matt had been completely ignorant to. "'Gods only today'," she read. "I guess it's closed  
for the day."  
"Dammit! I don't even know what it is!" Matt cried.  
"Mythos restaurant," Mary said, her face buried in a park map.  
"It says here that they've won the award for best theme park restaurant six years in a row," Caroline remarked.  
"Gahh!!!!" Matt cried.  
"We can always come back tomorrow," Mary said. "Besides, we just had ice cream."  
"Ice cream!" Tina cried as she finished up her Dip 'n Dots. She looked around for a trash can but there was none to be  
found. Mary eventually found one behind the sign in front of Mythos.  
"Ugh, what else is there to do?" Matt complained.  
"Well there's Poseidon's Fury, but that doesn't open up for another fifteen minutes. So we could go to the market down   
that way." Mary pointed down the street.  
"I guess," Matt said.  
"Hey, cheer up. There's supposed to be really cool shops here."

They passed a Fire-Eaters Grill on their way to the market which had similar theming to the Port of Entry, however the  
setup and music in this area was more Arabic. It was still absolutely breathtaking. They walked by a small pavilion and  
what looked like a psychic's tent, and made their way into the market. Similar to the Port of Entry, there were little  
kiosks for exotic shirts, dresses, hats, jewelry, fruit, anything you could imagine an Arabic market selling. Caroline  
bought a pearl necklace and some cute feather earrings. Matt bought a hat and an exotic shirt, but was really only keen  
on going back to Poseidon's Fury. Tina, though disappointed they had left Seuss Landing, was still excited to see the  
authenticity of the market, and bought a bracelet, ring, and shirt. Mary had to stop her from spending more money. "This  
place is soo coolll!!" she cried, staring in awe as they made their way back to Poseidon's Fury. They passed something on   
their way that seemed like a cool attraction. It was a small fountain with a face and a pool around it. Mary checked her  
map and said it was called 'the Mystic Fountain.' She gave Tina a coin. "Toss it in," she said.  
Tina ran up and tossed the coin into the pool around the fountain. The eyes on the face lit up, and suddenly the mouth  
moved. "Make a wish," it said.  
Tina whispered her wish to the fountain; Caroline couldn't hear what she said, and the fountain lit up again. "Tina's  
wish has been granted. It is waiting on the other side." Tina hopped around to the other side of the fountain and came  
back with a large stuffed pink unicorn. Caroline helped stuff it in Tina's bag as a sudden gust of wind blew. It came as  
quickly as it went, and everyone had soon forgotten as Matt ran up to Poseidon's Fury. "Let's go! Let's go!"  
The building was large and eroded, but not nearly as large as Mythos. The remains of a large statue were scattered  
around the outside. Caroline guessed that it used to be a statue of Poseidon, since a foot and hand holding a trident had  
been left intact.   
A man who reminded Caroline of Indiana Jones escorted them into the first small brick room of the live show. "Welcome  
to the temple of Poseidon. Uh, my boss was in here earlier and uh, I can't really find him, so uh we're gonna go look for  
him." Suddenly the door they had entered through shut, and the room became pitch black. The man screamed and Caroline  
could hear him frantically scurrying. "Ah, uh, torch, fire-" his torch lit "Ah! Light!" Wow, he was doing a really good  
job at acting. "Um, well, it looks like we're stuck. I'm really sorry to have gotten you guys into this mess but-"  
"Joseph," a woman's voice called.  
"Huh, what?" he asked, cowering in fear.  
"It's all right. I am Athena and I am here to help you. There is another way out." A door on the other side of the   
room slid open. "Be cautious. Do not disturb Poseidon and you will be left unharmed."  
"Oh, uh, right, uh, this way!" He lead Caroline and her friends through the door, which lead to a tunnel of water.  
Waves crashed up on either side. It was a really cool effect, but kind of leaky. Caroline felt water on her head a couple  
times.  
This tunnel lead into the main chamber. The man, Joseph, was frantically looking for the exit. "It's all right guys.  
We'll find it. We just have to be quiet and-" he slipped, and dropped his torch on the rock. It echoed in the large  
cavern.  
No one spoke or moved. Then, a booming voice thundered all around them. "Who dares enter Poseidon's temple?"  
"We, we were told to come in here. By Athena. She said this was the only way we could get out," Joseph squeaked.  
The loud voice sighed as a large man materialized in front of them. He was at least ten feet tall. There was no way a  
person was playing him, and that seemed too real to be animations. Poseidon snatched up his trident and spoke again.   
"Ugh, that Goddess of Wisdom thinks she knows everything. You know, for someone wise, she's not very smart. I'm going to  
need to have a talk with her." He paused. "I will let you peasants out this once, but disturb me again and I will destroy  
you, no matter who sent you. Even if it is Zeus!" He boomed, thrusting his trident at them.   
Joseph jumped and shrieked. "Okay, okay, we'll leave. I'm sorry Mr. Poseidon Sir."  
"There!" Jocelyn pointed to a door opening on the other side of the room.  
"Do not touch anything on your way out. It's all very sacred," Poseidon said as he watched them leave.  
Joseph was the last one out, and he was stumbling on his own feet and in tears as the door shut behind them. "Nice  
acting dude," Matt said, patting him on the shoulder.  
"Acting?" Joseph said, panting. "ACTING? YOU THINK I WAS ACTING?"  
"Well, yeah?" Matt said, backing up a little.  
"YOU THINK I WAS PRETENDING TO DISTURB THE GREAT SEA GOD? YOU'RE INSANE KID. YOU GUYS WILL ROT IN HELL WITH HADES IF  
YOU THINK I WAS JOKING ABOUT THIS!" He stumbled to his feet and pushed past them, knocking Tina out of the way. She fell  
back and hit the leg of a table, knocking down a chalice. It fell and shattered with a loud clang. No one said anything.  
Suddenly, a shadow fell upon them as Poseidon materialized right in front of them, even taller than before.  
"I told you I would let you go as long as you didn't touch anything!" he yelled. "And now you've broken my most   
valuable chalice. I'll have you! I'll have you all!" Caroline grabbed Tina's arm as they started to run. "I'll send you  
all to Hades! Let's see how you like that!"


	4. Chapter 4

Day 1  
9:00 a.m.

All the shop owners in the market fled for their lives as Poseidon thundered through the streets after Caroline and her  
friends. He kept screaming about how he was going to kill them with his trident and send them down to Hades. His strides  
were much longer than theirs'; one Poseidon stride was about the equivalent to five Caroline strides, and close to ten  
Tina strides.  
Tina was falling behind, and Poseidon was getting closer and angrier. He saw the little child who had knocked over his  
chalice and aimed his trident at her. Matt looked back at just the right moment, and ran to scoop Tina up as Poseidon  
threw his giant weapon. Matt's cross country skills paid off; the trident missed him and he quickly ran around it and   
caught back up with the rest of the group.  
"There!" Nate screamed pointing at an arch. They ran for it, hoping for shelter. Poseidon had stopped to pick up his  
trident, but it wasn't lodged far into the ground, and he retrieved it with ease, quickly resuming his pursuit. "There!"  
Nate cried again. "There's a train! Get on!"  
They all rushed up to the station and pounded on the doors of the compartments, screaming for the conductor to open up.  
Caroline turned around and saw Poseidon looming over them. He grinned and cackled. "Haha I've got you now!" He thrust his  
trident at them as everyone shrieked and cowered. However, his hand didn't get too far before it hit an invisible dome   
that caused him to disintegrate.  
Before they could take in what had happened, the doors opened. "'ello welcome to 'ogsmeade station. Ridin' back over  
from the village?" the conductor asked.  
"Yeah sure," Mary said, and they hurried in.  
"Compa'tment three," he said, holding out his hand and directing them down the long hallway. "Train'll be leavin' in  
one minute."  
They made their way to the compartment and sat down. Tina was in Mary's lap, crying. Caroline was next to her, with  
Matt on her other side, and Jocelyn and Nate sat across from them. No one spoke; they were all still in awe.  
Reality came back to them in a few seconds when the train began to move. "What happened?" Jocelyn asked quietly.  
"We must have entered another Island," Matt said. "It makes sense for a character to not be able to leave their own  
world. You wouldn't expect to see the Lorax in Mythos would you?"  
"I guess not," Jocelyn replied. "But why was he chasing us anyways? This is a theme park, why is it trying to hurt us?"  
Tina's sobs became even louder. "Tina, shh," Mary said, stroking her shoulders. "It's okay now."  
Matt put his arm around Caroline, and Nate returned the favor to Jocelyn. "Do you remember where the conductor said  
this thing was going to?"  
Caroline shook her head.   
Matt sighed. "I mean, wherever we're going, it can't be worse than Poseidon trying to kill us."  
"Guess not," Caroline said.

The train ride seemed quick - no more than five minutes - but when Caroline checked her phone, it was already 1:30 P.M.  
They unboarded in an empty station which exited out into a fairly busy street. Caroline walked to the other side of the  
street to see where they had just come from. "King's Cross Station? You guys I think we're in London."  
"Does that mean..." Matt walked up to her side. "That we just took the Hogwarts Express over?"  
Caroline looked at him and a grin spread on her face. "I guess so." She tried to contain her excitement. "You guys if  
we're in London then that means we're near Diagon Alley! C'mon we've got to go!"  
"It would definitely be a nice change from Poseidon's Rampage. What harm is there in Diagon Alley?" Mary commented.  
"Exactly!" Caroline cried! "C'mon we've gotta find the Leaky Cauldron!"  
Sure enough, there was a tiny, rundown shop on the corner of the street. When they entered, it opened up into a fairly  
small restaurant. It was not very packed, and Caroline noticed some people leaving out the back door, which she knew lead  
to the brick wall that opened up into the Alley. "Guys c'mon follow them through that door!"  
She speed-walked over to the back door, and caught it just before it closed. The people were no longer in sight, but  
wall was still open. Caroline stood, mouth wide open, at the Alley. "It's beautiful!" She put her hands over her mouth  
and almost cried at the sight of the crooked buildings lining the narrow street that lead up to Gringotts bank. "Look,  
there's Quality Quidditch Supplies!" She pointed to a small red building directly to their right. "C'mon we've gotta go!"  
Matt shrugged. "Hey, it's sports." So, they entered, and at this point, no one could deny that the Universal team had  
created something truly amazing. The walls were lined with Quidditch uniforms, t-shirts for your favorite team, & Hogwarts  
house-themed Quidditch apparel too! Broomsticks were sold, as were Quaffles, Bludgers and Snitches. "Oh my god it's  
perfect!" Caroline cried, whipping out her phone to take a picture. "Oh god what should I get?" She looked around at the  
house-themed pajama shorts, socks, shirts, gloves and hats. "Oh god." She picked up a pair of Ravenclaw pajama shorts and  
socks. "I can't get everything that's here, you know," she said to Matt, who had picked up a Gryffindor hat. "There's like  
a billion other shops."  
She put the items on the counter to pay. The cashier looked at the prices on the items and said, "Two Galleons and one  
Sickle."  
Caroline laughed. "What's that in American money?"  
"American money? I have no clue," the lady said. "Two Galleons and one Sickle please."  
Caroline looked at Matt, and then back to the lady. "I'm sorry, I don't have any Galleons or Sickles."  
"Well then I'm sorry, but you can't buy these," the lady said rather sternly. She was clearly starting to get annoyed.  
"No, please! Uh, what is two Galleons and one Sickle in British pounds? I'm, uh, I'm Muggleborn and I only have Muggle  
money." Caroline prayed this would work.  
The lady sighed. "Oh fine. It's ten pounds and twenty five pence I believe."  
"Okay..." Caroline whipped out her phone and pulled up Google Chrome. She searched for a pounds-to-dollars converter.  
"Okay so that's $14.77 Awesome!" She pulled out a $10 and a $5, and handed it to the lady. "Keep the change."  
"This Muggle money is strange," she said.  
"That's because I'm not from around here," Caroline said. "I'm from over the seas in a far away land called America."  
"Ooh I've heard of America!" the lady cried. "Is it cool?"  
"Uh, sure." Caroline grabbed her bags and made for the door.  
"Have a lovely day!" the lady cried.  
"You too."  
"Do you think we should go to the Gringotts money exchange?" Mary asked. "That way you have the money they're looking  
for and don't have to convert twice for every store you go to?"  
"Sure!" Caroline cried. "It's all the way down at the end, on the corner of Horizont Alley and Carkitt Market." They  
took a right past the Weasley store into Carkitt Market and made their way down to the end of the street. Caroline  
resisted buying anything as they neared the money exchange. The goblin animatronic inside was very realistic but very   
stubborn. Caroline eventually traded three hundred dollars for 41 Galleons, 13 Sickles and 25 Knuts.  
"So, Caroline, do you want to make our way back down the market and then do the Alley?" Mary asked.  
"Yeah, sure!" Caroline replied. "As long as I can do everything, I'm fine."  
As they made their way back down the Market, a pleasant sound grew louder. At the end of the street, there was a stage  
with a talented black lady singing on it. A huge crowd was gathered around and they were all cheering for her. Caroline  
joined the crowd and craned her neck to see the young lady who was captivating the whole crowd. She turned to the girl  
next to her, who was in an accurate but casual Luna Lovegood cosplay outfit. "Who is that?"  
"That's Celestina Warbeck," she replied in a convincing Luna impression. "She's huge here." The girl turned back to  
face the stage and joined the crowd in their shrieks.  
Once the song, 'A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love' was done, Tina became a bit whiny and wanted to go visit the  
'wizard shops' so Mary took her hand. "I'm going to take her shopping for a bit. Can you guys meet us back at this stage  
in an hour and a half and then we'll go ride the Gringotts ride?"  
"Yeah sure," Caroline said, and Mary walked Tina toward Diagon Alley. "So what do you guys want to do?" she asked her  
friends.  
"This is the part of the park you wanted to do, you pick," Nate replied.  
"Want to just walk down the Alley and see what we find?" Caroline suggested.  
"Sure."  
They headed back the way they came and took a right onto Diagon Alley. "Oh, look, Madam Malkin's on the left. There was  
a shirt there that I really wanted to buy," Caroline said, pointing to a large purple shop with gold animatronic scissors  
above the door.  
When they entered they found sets upon sets of Hogwarts robes, ties, lanyards, and formal dresses, like students would  
wear to something like the Yule Ball. Caroline also found the grey striped sweater she'd been wanting which cost about 8  
Galleons 10 Sickles and 5 Knuts. The four of them were each fitted for Hogwarts robes. Caroline bought Ravenclaw, Matt and  
Jocelyn bought Gryffindor, and Nate bought Slytherin robes for 10 Galleons each. "Have a nice day dears!" the cashier, who  
claimed to be Madam Malkin herself, cried cheerfully as they left, their arms full with robes.  
"Oh look there's Ollivander's!" Caroline exclaimed. The four of them politely pushed through the crowd of people clad  
in amazing cosplay, and stopped outside Ollivader's Wand Shoppe to put on their robes so they would blend in and also had  
free arms. Then, they entered the deserted dusty building stacked to the ceiling with wand boxes upon wand boxes.  
"It's so authentic!" Caroline cried.  
"Authentic?" an old man's voice cried from deep within the wand boxes. "What's authentic?" A man who looked exactly  
like Mr. Ollivander from the Harry Potter films emerged from the shelves of boxes and strode over to his desk. "Ah, so  
which of you would like a wand?"  
"I think," Caroline said, looking at her friends, "all of us would." They all nodded in agreement.  
The man looked them up and down, and then walked over to his shelves and looked around for some specific box. "You kids  
look a little old to be buying your first wands," he said. "Presumably, you are buying your first wand, yes?" He pulled a  
box off of the shelf.  
"Yes," Caroline said.  
He walked back to his desk and pointed at Caroline. "Here we are, you." He took the lid off of the box and handed her   
the wand inside. It was heavy and uncomfortable to hold. "Well, give it a wave!"  
Caroline waved it around and a bunch of boxes flew off of their shelves.  
"Mm, I guess not." He hurriedly grabbed the wand back from her and fixed the boxes with his own. Then he ran off to  
another shelf and picked out another box. "Perhaps this." He handed the wand to Caroline.  
It fit very snug in her hand. Before she could even wave it, a golden light and wind came out of nowhere. This was it.  
This was her wand that chose her.  
The man grinned. "Excellent. That is 3 Galleons and 4 Sickles." She handed him the money and sat down next to Matt. The  
man pointed to Nate. "You next."  
Each of them had a similar experience to Caroline's. She had to admit, with every single place she visited, Universal  
had outdone themselves more and more each time.  
Matt, Nate and Jocelyn all had out their wands in their bags, but Caroline insisted on carrying hers, waving it around  
like a child with a new toy. She pointed it at nothing in particular and said, "Wingardium Leviosa." Suddenly, a mini  
cauldron that had been on display outside of Pottage's Cauldron Shoppe levitated in the air. "Cool!" she said. "There must  
be motion sensors."  
"That's insane!" Matt cried. "Oh hey look it's Scribbulus!"  
"What's that?" Nate asked.  
"It's like the writing store or something."  
"Oh."  
"I'll just be a minute," Caroline said as she and Jocelyn entered the store. However, that changed as soon as she saw  
all that was offered in this store. There were Hogwarts journals, Hogwarts house journals, journals that had nothing to  
do with Hogwarts, stationary, envelopes, wax and seals, and quills of all sorts. "Just kidding, I might be a while."  
Jocelyn laughed and she and Caroline entered the store.  
After twenty minutes of browsing through all the journals and stationary, Caroline ended up getting a Ravenclaw crest  
journal, and a quill pen and ink, and Jocelyn bought a Gryffindor journal. They joined the boys back outside and continued  
to walk down Horizont Alley past Gringotts and Diagon Alley until they came to a dead end.  
However, Matt noticed something to their left. "Why don't we go down there?" he pointed to a path.  
Caroline shrugged and they walked down the path that instantly turned pitch black. Caroline thought she saw someone  
pass by her, but she couldn't tell; it was so dark. Eventually, the path opened up into another Alley, this one dimly  
torch-lit. It was none other than, "Knockturn Alley," Caroline said in amazement.  
"Oh, isn't that like the scary place?" Nate asked.  
"Yes, Nate, it's the scary place," she replied sarcastically. "Ooh, Borgin and Burke's is down here. I want to see what  
they've got in there."  
They passed a display of singing shrunken heads and opened the door to Borgin and Burkes, where some blond man was  
arguing with the cashier.  
"But I want the necklace. You don't understand. I HAVE to get that necklace. Can't you, like, put it on hold for me?"  
he demanded.  
"Mr. Malfoy I can put it on hold, but if someone who wants it comes along with the money before you come back for it,  
I have to give it to them."  
Wow, that was one insane Malfoy cosplay, and impressive how the cashier (either Borgin or Burke) was putting up with  
him. 'Malfoy' rolled up his sleeve at the man.  
"Oh, um, of course I'll hold it for you Mr. Malfoy. Come back for it whenever you please." the cashier grinned at him,  
then looked over 'Malfoy's' shoulder at Caroline and her friends, grinning some more.  
'Malfoy' whipped around, more scared than angry. "Who are you? What are you doing here? What did you hear?"  
Caroline grinned. "Just that you wanted the necklace."  
"And you didn't hear why?" he asked frantically.  
"No, but nice job."  
"What?"  
"Your Malfoy impression is spot-on!" Caroline was grinning from ear to ear.  
'Malfoy' strode up to her, now insanely angry, and got extremely close to her face. He glared at her for a minute, then  
walked away, storming out of the store and mumbling something under his breath about "Impressions, I'll show you  
impressions you little shit."  
"Dang, what did you say to make him so angry?" Caroline asked the cashier as Jocelyn, Matt and Nate began to browse the  
store a little. These items were truly frightening and honestly looked evil. How did children come in here without having  
nightmares?  
"That is none of your business, girl," the cashier spat at her. "What are you doing here?"  
Caroline took a step back. "Oh, uh, just looking around I guess. C'mon guys, let's go." She gathered up her friends and  
they hurried out of the shop, taking a right out of Borgin and Burke's.  
As they quickly continued down the Alley, Matt said, "Wow, he was really rude."  
"Yeah, I wonder what ticked him off so much," Nate added.  
"It was probably whoever was cos-playing as Malfoy. He seemed to be having a pretty bad day," Jocelyn replied.  
"I don't know guys," Caroline said. "Something doesn't seem right. Is this the way we came in?" There was no way of  
telling if they were going deeper into the Alley or not, and Caroline was starting to get worried.  
"Yeah I think it is," Nate said.  
"No it's not," Caroline spat back, her heart racing. "We didn't walk this much before, guys I think we're lost." She  
quickened her pace to a jog, and the others struggled to keep up with her.  
"Caroline, wait!" Matt cried. "We can just go back the other way!"  
But as he said that, Caroline saw a ray of light in the distance. "There!" she exclaimed. She ran towards it and was  
blinded by the odd amount of sunlight from Diagon Alley. They'd just gone full circle; they were back near the entrance.  
Matt checked his phone. "Look, it's 3:20. We've got 10 minutes. Why don't we go sit by the stage and wait for Mary. We  
could use some relaxing." They walked across the Alley and back into Carkitt Market, where they found a convenient   
pavilion called The Hopping Pot. Matt ordered four waters for them and they grabbed a table.  
"Caroline, are you okay? You freaked out back there. It's just a theme park, you know?" Matt asked.  
"How can you say that?" Caroline asked. "We were just chased by a ten foot tall God and you say this is just a theme  
park?"  
"Listen, I don't know, maybe it's their idea of a fun attraction. Point is, getting lost in Knockturn Alley is not  
our biggest worry."  
Caroline sighed. She had anxiety, but this seemed more than that. It was like a feeling rooted deep in her stomach that  
something was truly wrong here.  
"Oh look, there's Mary and Tina now."  
Tina seemed to have calmed down a lot, and was holding a tiny pink pygmy puff on her shoulder.  
"She wanted to go to the Weasley's store, but I told her we had to check in first," Mary said. "Did you guys go there  
yet?" Caroline shook her head. "Awesome! Wanna hit there on the way to Gringotts?"  
"Sure!" The giant purple and orange building was on the corner of the Alley and the Market, with a large statue of  
Fred and/or George looming over them. Fred and George were Caroline's favorite characters. She couldn't WAIT to see what  
Universal had done with this store.  
As soon as she opened the door, a firework whizzed past her face, making her jump. Then, she heard the familiar voices  
cry out, "Step up step up! We've got Fainting Fancies! Nosebleed Nougat! And just in time for school! Puking Pastilles!"  
Caroline looked up at the stairs to see two identical ginger twins advertising the products. No. Way. Universal got James  
and Oliver Phelps to work here! That was beyond insane! Caroline decided she would poke around a bit before saying hi, and  
ended up getting a Skiving Snackbox, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes t-shirt, and a jar of U-No-Poo. Then, she went to pay, and  
she couldn't have been happier. "Well hello dear, how are you doing today?" one of the twins (James?) asked.  
"Are you finding everything all right?" the other added.  
"I'm doing great, thank you! How bout you guys?"  
"We're absolutely ecstatic, thank you!" James replied, adding up her total for the items.  
"12 Galleons, 11 Sickles and 5 Knuts," they said in unison.  
"Okay!" Caroline quickly fished the money out of her bag and handed it to them. Then, she pulled out her phone. "Hey,  
can I get a picture with you guys?"  
The twins looked at each other, as if they were surprised to discover that they were famous. "Of course!" they said,  
once again in unison.  
"Mary!" Caroline called, and Mary came over with an excited Tina. "Mary, could you please take a picture of us?"  
Caroline held out her phone.  
"Yeah, no problem." Mary took it and held it up.  
"What kind of a camera is that?" James asked in amazement.  
"It's a cell phone. You can use it to take pictures or contact people," Caroline explained simply - obviously they  
KNEW what a cell phone was; they were just playing it up for the park.  
"Amazing!" Oliver exclaimed. "I've never seen such a device! Is it a Muggle contraption?"  
"Oh, yeah, it is...I'm Muggleborn," Caroline replied.  
"Fascinating," Oliver sighed.  
"Okay everyone!" Mary cried holding up Caroline's phone. "Smile!"  
James and Oliver quickly moved to either side of Caroline and both put their arms around her waist. She returned the  
favor, and smiled brightly.  
"Awesome! Got it!"  
"What, no flash?" James asked.  
"It's not dark enough in here to need one," Mary replied.  
"Wow, Muggles are more advanced than I thought," Oliver remarked.  
"Yeah, we're really getting along," Caroline quipped. Jocelyn, Matt and Nate emerged from among the shelves upon  
shelves of jokes, with some t-shirts and some candy. They quickly paid and turned to leave.  
"Have a great day ladies and gentlemen!" the twins said in unison.  
"You too!" Caroline waved as they left the store.  
"So, you guys want to go on the Gringotts ride?" Mary asked as they walked back down the Alley.  
"Well duh!" Caroline cried.  
The large white building grew closer as they walked up the Alley. The front door seemed to be waiting for someone to  
enter. Caroline pushed it open with excitement, and took a moment to pause and stare in wonder at what Universal had  
created. The ceiling had to be at least thirty feet high, with gigantic crystal chandeliers hanging from it. The marble  
patterns on the walls and pillars, and engravings on the desks were identical to those in the movies, and the goblin  
animatronics looked incredibly real. Caroline took out her phone and took yet another panorama, and then turned around  
and took a selfie with Matt, Nate and Jocelyn in front of the hall for her Snapchat story, because why not!? After she  
put her phone away, and they began to stride down the walkway toward the front desk, Caroline couldn't help but feel  
exactly like Harry had in 'Sorcerer's Stone' when he first entered Gringotts.  
Caroline and her friends halted at the desk. After a few seconds of scratching away at a paper, the goblin at the desk  
finally talked, still not looking up at them. "Well, do you have your key?" he asked in his raspy voice.  
"No, uh, I don't have a vault," Caroline replied.  
"Well then are you here to open a vault?" he asked, still not looking up.  
"Uh, yeah, I guess."  
"Name?"  
"Caroline Bradley."  
"Age?"  
"Seventeen."  
Now he looked up. "And who are these people?"  
"Oh, uh, my friends and family?" Caroline replied unsuredly.  
The goblin hesitated. "Griphook!" he finally cried. Another goblin came to greet Caroline and her friends. "Please  
take Miss Bradley and company to open her vault. Number 1254."  
Griphook nodded and beckoned to Caroline. "Follow me." He lead her and her friends past the desk and into the back  
hall, where the walls were lined with offices. The hallway eventually lead to a large elevator. "Get in," he said. They  
filed in. The goblin waddled over to a panel on the wall that was just the right height for him and hit a button. The  
elevator began to move down. There were windows at the top and Caroline saw layers of stone pass them as they descended.  
"We must be going down really far," Nate whispered to her.  
"Oh please, Nate, it's just a screen," she whispered back. Even she had to admit, though, it did look really realistic.  
When the elevator finally stopped, Griphook exited first and then beckoned for the company to follow. "This way." He  
lead them over to two authentic Gringotts carts. "Go on, get in." Caroline, Matt, Nate and Jocelyn filed onto the second  
one. Mary was about to hoist Tina in when the goblin held her back. "It can only hold four people. You and the girl and I   
will go in the cart in front of them. They will follow us." Mary hesitated but eventually brought Tina up to the first  
cart, which began to move as soon as Griphook took his seat.  
Once the first cart started to move, Caroline's cart began to move. She clutched Matt's arm with excitement. "Here we  
go!" she squealed. Only a few seconds into the ride, they reached a fork in the track with two tunnels. Mary and Tina's  
cart took the one to the left but Caroline's cart stopped in its tracks before it could take either. Suddenly, someone  
emerged from the tunnel on the right, walking on the path next to the track. She had a long black dress on and long curly  
black hair, and was accompanied by two more goblins. "Bellatrix," one of the goblins said.  
"Are these the imposters?" she sneered, glaring at Caroline and her friends.  
"I don't think so, Madam Lestrange. We can't be sure," the other goblin replied.  
"Well let's find out then!" Bella cackled. She pointed her wand at Caroline's cart. "Bombarda Maxima!" A blue light  
shot out of her wand and hit the tracks below them, causing the cart to drop down. The ride had officially started, and  
Universal had already outdone themselves yet again with the incredible animations.  
The train dipped and spun around for a few seconds - quite an excellent thrill ride - but suddenly someone shouted,  
"Aresto Momentum!" and Caroline became face-to-face with an incredible animation of Bill Weasley and another goblin on a  
train whose track was parallel to hers. "Whoa, you almost went through the Thief's Downfall," he said. The waterfall that  
washes away all enchantments poured behind his cart. "Look, I'm sorry about Bellatrix, she needs to-"  
"Bill!" someone shouted as another cart came roaring out of the Thief's Downfall and around a third track, which was  
once again parallel to the others. An animated Harry, Ron and Hermione skidded to a stop next to Bill's cart.  
"Harry, what are you doing here!?" Bill cried, sounding worried.  
"You have to get them out of here," Harry said, pointing to Caroline and her friends as the alarm on their cart ticked  
to life. "There's going to be trouble." It started to whine uncontrollably.  
"They know we're imposters," Hermione said, not taking her eyes off of the alarm. "They've set off defenses against  
us!"  
Suddenly Ron pointed to something below them. "Look down there. Trolls! They're deathly brutal!" He sounded worried.  
Sure enough, a loud stomping noise grew louder with every pound. When Caroline looked down, monstrous trolls in armor  
were tugging at their cart, sending them spiraling down the track again, plummeting probably fifty feet, or more!  
Their cart finally came to a stop when Bill saved them again with another simple, "Aresto Momentum!" He put down his  
wand. "Welcome to Gringotts. Perfectly safe as you can see." Suddenly, something roared behind him, and the large  
Ukranian Ironbelly stepped into view, breathing fire at an unknown target. Bill cowered for a moment as he recovered his  
wand and yelled, "Aguamenti!... What in the name of Merlin are you doing!?"  
"We've found a Horcrux!" Harry's voice sounded, although Caroline couldn't see him yet. "We really need to get out of  
here!"  
"Releaseo!" Hermione screamed, and the chain holding the dragon by its neck broke instantly. Caroline could finally  
see the Golden Trio; they were riding the dragon's back. Gringotts security was shooting at the dragon, but their spells  
had no effect on the humongous beast.  
Bill turned back to Caroline's cart. "I'll give you guys a little bosot to get you to the vault safely." He pointed  
his wand at them and gave it a swish and flick. "Wingardium Leviosa!"  
Suddenly, Caroline felt like they were actually levitating in the air. The feeling made her slightly queasy, and she  
clutched Matt's arm even harder as they spun around and came to the vaults, now riding back along the track past the  
doors.  
1252, 1253, 1254, 1255, "Hey that's my vault!" Caroline cried with excitement, pointing at the door with the number  
1254.  
"Sweet!" Matt cried. "What's in there?"  
"No clue," Caroline replied.  
The train continued to move until they were in a room full of golden dishware, chalices, and just about every precious  
thing one could imagine. Suddenly the wall in front of them began to tremble, and it exploded open. Through all the dust,  
Caroline could just make out the figure of what looked like a snake. Nagini neared them, and lunged toward them. However,  
someone uttered a phrase in Parseltongue, and the creature drew back. Out walked Lord Voldemort himself, accompanied by  
Bellatrix. He pointed his wand at them. "I know you've seen Harry Potter. He was in your vault, Bellatrix!"  
Bella walked closer to the cart, clearly recognizing Caroline and company. "I thought I got rid of you, Muggleborns!"  
she shot disgustedly, and shot two spells out of her wand that pushed their train backward slightly. The third one sent  
them spiraling backward into a large, open cavern, where Voldemort and Bellatrix reappeared in their black smoke.  
"Perhaps a little dose of pain to help you remember," Voldemort said slowly.  
"Yes, yes, we will destroy you!" Bellatrix cried as Voldemort held out his hand and blew a large ball of fire, which  
morphed into the Dark Lord's head. It started to make a beeline for Caroline's cart but was soon dissolved in the fire-  
breath of the Ironbelly, who then turned to his new target: Voldemort. He eventually disapparated with Bellatrix.  
"We'll get you out of here!" Harry said from on top of the dragon. He moved the chain that once restrained the dragon  
and attached it to their cart. The dragon started to climb up the wall, and the cart was violently pulled along for the  
ride. Caroline squeezed Matt's arm even harder. Everything was dark, and then she felt the cart detach from the chain and  
land back on a track. It then moved forward to bring them face-to-face with Bill again, the dragon still climbing up  
behind him.  
"Bill, take care of them," Harry said as they were whisked out of sight.  
Bil turned around to face Caroline and her friends. "Is everyone okay? Do you still want to open an account? After  
all, it's the safest place on earth!" When no one answered, he spoke again. "Right, let's get you out." The train moved  
along its track slowly and then came to a stop in the exact same spot the ride started. An employee dressed as Bill  
greeted them and helped them off of the ride. Mary, Tina and Griphook were standing a few feet away. Tina and Mary looked  
as if they had been bored waiting for hours. Griphook, however looked a little concerned.  
"Are you all right?" 'Bill' asked Caroline as he took her hand and helped her out of the cart. His gaze lingered.  
"Yeah, I'm all right," Caroline replied honestly.  
"She's fine," Matt grabbed Caroline's other hand and gave a slight tug. 'Bill' picked up the hint and let go, politely  
backing away.   
Griphook quickly approached the four of them. "Are you guys all right? What happened back there? Where's Bellatrix?"  
"Uh, she and Voldemort disapparated," Caroline said. Suddenly they heard a deep rumble followed by a loud roar.  
Griphook looked at 'Bill' with a somber yet fearful expression. "It escaped?"  
'Bill' returned the goblin with a grim look. "I'm afraid so."  
Griphook stood frozen for a moment, then grabbed Caroline and Nate's hands. "Come on guys, we have to get you out of  
here before it's too late." He tugged at them. "Come on guys! You don't understand!"  
Caroline and Nate finally gave in and let Griphook drag them up Gringotts' 'emergency exit' and back into the main  
lobby of the bank, the others following close behind.  
"I'm sorry you didn't get to open up a vault!" the goblin said frantically as he opened the front door. "Come back  
another time!" Without another word, he shoved the company out of the bank and quickly shut the door in Mary's face.  
"Well that was weird," Mary remarked.  
"Yeah, but you have to admit, the ride was pretty cool," Caroline said.  
"It was all right," Mary replied.  
"All right?" Caroline asked. "Wow, I thought it was amazing."  
"Mm, me too," Matt agreed.  
"Is there anything left here that you want to do, Caroline?" Jocelyn asked.  
"No, I think we've hit everything in Diagon Alley," Caroline said. "But I really wanna take the train over and do  
Hogsmeade. Please??" she turned to Mary.  
Her guardian sighed. "Okay. C'mon, let's go."  
"Yes!" Caroline whispered to herself as they headed back out of the Alley.


	5. Chapter 5

Day 1  
3:45 P.M. 

Caroline lead her friends back into King's Cross Station, but the queue for the Hogwarts Express ride was nowhere to be  
found. She walked deeper into the station, keen on finding the ride that would bring her back over to Islands of  
Adventure. A few people dressed in business attire passed her, some carrying briefcases, some rushing as if they were  
about to miss their train. However, she heard something rather peculiar: a woman's high pitched voice, "...it's the same  
every year, packed with Muggles! Come on! Platform 9 and 3/4 this way!" That was the unmistakable voice of Mrs. Weasley.  
When Caroline laid eyes on the woman, she was utterly impressed. The lady who had just spoken had the same hair and build  
as Julie Walters's character, and the outfit was extremely convincing. Not to mention she was joined by two red heads: a  
teenage boy and a teenage girl, who were accompanied by a brown-haired teenage boy and a brown-haired teenage girl. They  
found a brick barrier between Platforms 9 and 10, and ran through the wall, disappearing into it.  
"That's it!" Caroline cried, pointing. Once the five had gone through, she and her friends followed. On the other side  
was none other than the Hogwarts Express. This was the first time Caroline got a good look at it. It was a beautiful red  
and black locomotive, belching steam at the front.  
"All aboard!" someone called. "Last call! All aboard!"  
Caroline rushed over to where the conductor had called from, and the rest followed.  
"Compartment 7 lads," he said, pointing down the hall.  
The group filed into the compartment and sat down on the comfortable seats. "So what is there in Hogsmeade?" Nate  
asked.  
"Oh there's plenty. There's three rides, and a bunch of shops and restaurants," Caroline said. "There's Dervish and  
Banges, Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes-"  
"Oh man I LOVE Honeydukes!" someone passing by in the hall said. He sounded just like Rupert Grint...looked like him  
too. What is it with Universal and cosplay?  
"Oh Ron, give them some privacy." A girl who looked and sounded exactly like Emma Watson ushered the boy past their  
open door. Matt then got up from his seat and shut the door.  
"So, obviously, there's not a lot of time left in the day," Mary said after the train started to move, "so we have to  
plan our time wisely. There's still three Islands left after the Wizarding World. So, Caroline, what are your top three  
priorities?"  
Caroline glared at Mary for a split second, then paused to think. "Um, I guess Honeydukes, Three Broomsticks and  
Zonko's."  
Mary nodded. "Nate, how about you? I know you were looking forward to Jurassic Park."  
"Just the River Adventure," Nate answered.  
"Okay, then we'll try and get on the Ripsaw Falls and the Hulk ride. Then we'll call it a day and come back tomorrow.  
Sound good?"  
"Yup," Jocelyn said.  
"Sounds like a plan," Matt answered.

In what felt like five minutes, the train ride was done, but when Caroline got off at Hogsmeade Station and checked her  
phone, it was already 8:45 P.M. "Mary," she said worriedly, "It's already 8:45!"  
"My gosh, how long was that train ride?" Mary exclaimed. "They really should make it shorter." She paused. "I guess  
we'll do some of this park, then come back and finish tomorrow."  
Caroline sighed. "All right." And they headed off for the village. As they walked, it began to grow progressively  
colder. As they neared the arch leading into the village, Caroline noticed that the sky was growing darker and whiter.  
"Is it...snowing?" she asked.  
Mary looked around in surprise. "I think so!"  
"Wow, snow and the cold? They really go all out with these effects," Matt remarked.  
"Well," Jocelyn said as they entered the hearty but empty village. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm freezing. I  
think I'm gonna go buy a sweatshirt... Where's the nearest place, Dervish and Banges?"  
"Yeah, I think so," Caroline replied.  
"As a matter of fact, I think we should all go get one," Mary said, holding Tina's hand as they started down the white-  
dotted cobblestone street. Caroline looked around at all the shops. All of the lights were on inside the buildings, but  
she couldn't see many people inside. When they finally reached Dervish and Banges and entered the building, they were the  
only ones inside.  
"Well hello!" the clerk called from the other side of the room. "Are you fellows looking for anything in particular?"  
"Yes, we're looking for jackets," Mary answered.  
"Right over there." He pointed to his right.  
"Thank you."  
There was a large array of Hogwarts/house themed jackets, and Caroline couldn't resist buying a large but stylish  
Ravenclaw jacket. Jocelyn picked up the same one, but Gryffindor. As for Matt, he bought a Gryffindor Quidditch sweater,  
and Nate purchased a Slytherin jacket. Mary picked up a Hogwarts zip-up sweatshirt, and Tina insisted on getting a  
Gryffindor hooded sweatshirt. In total, it came out to be around 54 Galleons, 11 Sickles and 7 Knuts.  
"So, where do you want to go first Caroline?" Mary asked as they left Dervish and Banges and back onto the street.  
"Um I guess Honeydukes," Caroline said, nodding at a building close to the entrance.  
"All right."  
As Caroline opened the door to the brick building lined with green and pink, a man stopped her. "I'm sorry, miss,  
we're closing up for the night. What are you doing out in the village so late? Stores started closing 15 minutes ago."  
"Oh, um," Caroline started to say. Closed? It wasn't even 9:00 yet!  
"Not to worry, you all look like you need a place to stay for the night. Luckily for you, I have just the place." He  
waved his wand and a motion sensor picked up on it, shutting off the lights. He stepped outside, locked the door to the  
shop, and beckoned them across the street. "Not many people know this but up here," he lead them up towards a small set  
of lockers, "is a second floor with some cots for any travelers wishing to stay the night." In the back corner of the  
overhang was a small, concealed spiral staircase. The man lead them up. It opened up into a small loft with three cots.  
"There. I think this should do for the six of you. Now, then, my name is Ambrosius Flume. I don't usually bunk above the  
store on weekdays, but I think I'll stay there tonight for you guys. If you all need anything, just holler." He gave them  
a warm smile and started for the stairs.  
Caroline stood around, confused. However, Mary stepped up. "Um, I'm sorry sir, but the park is closing in less than two  
hours. We really should be going back to our hotel."  
"Park? Nonsense, we have visitors stay over all the time. Please! Stay! And do keep warm!...Good night!" Without  
another word, Mr. Flume scurried down the stairs and over into Honeydukes.   
The group stood there for a few moments, perplexed. The silence was broken by the squeaky springs of a cot; Tina was  
bouncing lightly on one of the beds.  
"Tina, sweetie," Mary walked over to her. "Let's not bounce on these beds. We don't want to break them." She picked  
the child up and set her back on her feet as Caroline looked around the room. There were three small cots complete with  
two pillows and a wool blanket each. While there was a roof over their heads, the windows were open spaces between brick  
columns; the cold air still pierced their skin. If Universal really let people sleep over in the park occasionally, it  
might make sense for the rest area to be a bit more luxurious and warm, like their hotels.  
"I guess we'll have to make-do with this," Mary sighed. "Tina, sweetie, you're sleeping with me. You four," she looked  
at Matt, Caroline, Nate and Jocelyn, "figure something out." and then ushered Tina over to the bed.  
Suddenly, Nate clutched his stomach. "Oh, I'm so hungry! God, I can't go to bed on an empty stomach. Do you guys have  
any food?"  
Caroline and Jocelyn shook their heads, but Matt perked up. "Actually, I think I still have that fudge I got earlier  
today!"  
Nate's eyes lit up. "Really? Could I have some? Uh...please?"  
"Yeah of course!" Matt dug into his bag and pulled out a large chunk of fudge. He broke off a respectfully sized piece  
and handed it to Nate.  
"Thanks man." Nate devoured it in no more than ten bites.  
Matt turned to the girls. "You guys want any?" he asked, holding the fudge out.  
"Mm, I guess," Caroline said.  
"Yeah, sure," Jocelyn added.  
Matt broke off two more pieces and gave it to them, saving the last piece for himself. Nate was already done with his  
snack, and was now sitting on one of the cots. Jocelyn walked over and joined him. Caroline walked over to one of the  
'windows' and sat on the edge, dangling her feet off of the edge. Despite how cold her legs and even her arms were, she  
didn't feel much like moving. The view of the village was undoubtedly beautiful. After a minute or two, she felt fabric  
on her shoulder, and looked up to see Matt draping one of the blankets from the cot around her right shoulder, then  
sitting down on her left and taking the other half of the blanket.  
"It's bizarre, isn't it?" Caroline said.  
"What is?" he asked.  
"Just, all of this. I mean, it seems a little bit far fetched to me."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, no one was in the park today until we got into London, and everyone was in some sort of amazing cosplay. And  
what about staying the night? Last time I checked, that wasn't in our plan. I've never heard of Universal offering that."  
"Well, it might be something new, you never know. But," he paused. "Even I have to admit, something does seem a little  
weird. Getting chased by whatever that Poseidon thing was, a five minute train ride somehow lasting five hours."  
"I haven't wanted to say anything," Caroline said. "Not after how I freaked out in Knockturn Alley. I thought you guys  
would think I was crazy." She sniffled, and willed the tears not to come out.  
"Caroline, we all know you have anxiety. We were just trying to help you keep it under control. We don't think you're  
crazy." He put his arm around her shoulder, and she rested her head on his.  
"It's just, something doesn't seem right." She stared at the only building with their lights still on: the Three  
Broomsticks. "I mean, I know I have anxiety, but it's NOT my anxiety acting up. It's like this feeling deep in my gut. I  
just...I just know something's wrong."  
"Well, let's just wait until we get back to the hotel tomorrow, okay?" Matt said. "You were fine when we were there  
this morning. Let's just wait until we're out of the park. Maybe that'll clear your mind, okay?"  
Caroline nodded and sniffled again.  
"Hey, it's okay." He put his other arm around her shoulder, and then kissed her forehead. Caroline returned the favor  
as best she could by putting her arms around his shoulders. They just sat there for what seemed like forever, and Matt  
finally stirred. "It's getting late. We should get to bed." Caroline nodded and they stood up. There was only one cot  
left: Mary and Tina were already asleep, and Nate and Jocelyn had fallen asleep on the second cot. Matt held out his arm,  
beckoning to the cot. Caroline climbed in, and he laid down next to her, draping the blanket over the two of them. "See  
you in the morning." He smiled and Caroline smiled back slightly.  
Caroline fell asleep almost immediately. In her dreams, the events of the day played back in a distorted manner. The  
park was completely dark and abandoned, giving it an extremely eerie appearance. A huge gust of wind flew by, carrying an  
evil cackle with it. The park seemed to be both dead and alive, like everything was creeping by behind the scenes. Like  
something was about to attack at any moment.


	6. Chapter 6

Day 2  
7:30 A.M.

Caroline was the first one to wake up in the morning to the warm smell of eggs and toast. In no more than twenty minutes,  
everyone else was awake, and Tina was complaining that she was hungry.  
"We'll go for breakfast once the Three Broomsticks opens," Mary said, half-satisfying an eager Tina.  
Jocelyn pulled out her park map. "It says that they open at 8:00."  
"You hear that?" Mary said. "Ten more minutes."  
"Look, though, the doors are open," Caroline said, pointing to the large building across the street. An employee  
had just unlocked the door, and the scent grew stronger. Caroline shivered; it was still cold out, and wearing shorts  
wasn't really a big help. "It's really cold, should we just go now?" she asked.  
"Please, please, please, please!" Tina started jumping around, tugging at Mary's arm.  
Mary sighed. "All right, all right. Caroline, get Nate up." She gestured to Nate, who was anything but a morning  
person, and was still laying in bed rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
Caroline walked over to his cot. "Nate, come on, we're going for breakfast." He groaned slightly as he rolled onto his  
other side. "Nate, come on!" She shook him. "Everyone's hungry, get out of bed." After a minute, he seemed to consent,  
and slowly rolled out of bed.  
Caroline, Matt and Jocelyn met Mary and Tina at the bottom of the stairs, and Nate groggily clunked down the stairs.  
"Okay, let's go." Mary grabbed Tina's hand, and they set off across the street for the Three Broomsticks.

They were seated at a table near the back of the restaurant. It was dimly lit; there were a few candles, and the windows  
at the top of the room let the morning light in. Despite how dark and empty it was, it was still an extremely heartwarming  
building. "Good morning lads and lasses, and welcome to the Three Broomsticks. Starting our adventure early today are we?"  
their waiter asked in a strong Scottish accent.  
Mary exaggerated a sigh. "Mm, I guess we are."  
"And what can I get you youngsters today?" he asked.  
"Hmm, I think I'll take your traditional omelet with a glass of water," Mary said.  
"Okay," he wrote her order down. "And you my dear?" he looked at Caroline.  
"I'll have the omelet too, with a butterbeer."  
"Mm, an excellent choice." The waiter took everyone else's orders, then put his pen and notebook away. "Your meals  
should be out in twenty minutes." He left for the kitchen.  
"So, Caroline, what are we going to do today?" Mary asked.  
"We should probably just shop around the village and then go over to Jurassic Park," Caroline answered.  
"Sounds good," Matt said.  
"Okay," Mary took out her phone and started to type. "So just for time's sake, let's say that we're out of here no   
later than 12:00, and then Jurassic Park no later than 1, Toon Lagoon by 2, and Marvel Superhero Island by 3, then we can  
go back to the hotel and relax. I know yesterday was very long and tiring for you guys."  
Caroline and her friends nodded.  
In a few minutes, the waiter was back with the omelettes, Traditional breakfasts, water, butterbeers, and Tina's bagel.  
They began to indulge immediately, but not before Mary took a picture of the four butterbeers clinked together for  
Caroline.  
"Mm, this is delicious!" Jocelyn cried after finishing half of her glass.  
"I really have to hand it to Universal," Matt said. "I know I've said this a billion times, but they outdo themselves  
with everything they do!"  
No one really spoke for the entire breakfast, because they were too busy taking in the authenticity of the building,  
and more importantly, the delicious flavor of the butterbeer. Caroline eventually got up to take a panorama of the  
restaurant, and Mary joined her. "Want me to take a picture of you and your friends?" she asked.  
"Sure!" Caroline said. "Guys, c'mon, Mary wants a picture." Matt, Nate and Jocelyn stood up, leaving Tina all alone at  
the table. After a moment, Caroline stretched her hand out to her sister. "C'mon Tina, you too." Tina jumped up gratefully  
and they headed over to the fireplace, where they took a nice picture and then posed for a silly one.  
"Wait, is there a patio back there?" Jocelyn asked, stepping back and looking at the doors on either side of the  
fireplace.  
Caroline joined her. "Yeah, I think so."  
"Does that mean we're on the lake?" Matt nearly bolted out onto the patio.  
"We should be." Caroline followed him, but she saw nothing except snowy mountains in the near distance. "Huh, that's  
weird." She looked over to Matt, who was pacing around, cursing. "Hey, come on, it's cold out here. Let's go back inside."  
She ushered him back in.  
"No lake?" Jocelyn asked in surprise.  
Caroline shook her head.  
"That's weird..."  
"Yeah, that's what I said!" They made their way back to their table, where the waiter had placed the check. 9 Galleons,  
14 Sickles, and 25 Knuts. Caroline quickly fished the money out of her pocket and left it on the table, along with a 2-  
Sickle tip.  
"So, Honeydukes first?" Caroline asked.  
"That's what we said...where is it?" Mary replied.  
Caroline pushed open the front door to the restaurant and pointed to the first building on their right. "Right there."  
"Well that's convenient!"  
As they circled around to the front, Caroline noticed that the street was slightly dotted with people, as more and  
more guests entered the park. She opened the door to Honeydukes and stepped inside a warm room filled with the aroma of  
chocolate and warm caramel. Caroline paused to take it all in, complete with a picture. Then, she started to browse for  
candy. "Hmm, chocolate frogs? Bertie Botts Beans? Exploding BonBons? Lemon drops?" She looked at Mary. "How much room do  
we have in our suitcases?"  
Mary laughed. "You can get five things here."  
Caroline twisted her face in thought and decided on a box of Bertie Bott's, a sugar quill and 2 chocolate frogs - gotta  
start collecting trading cards! She paid the clerk a respectable 5 Galleons, 10 Sickles and 27 Knuts, and then they made  
their way next door to Zonko's Joke Shop.  
It was tightly packed, complete with vibrant red-and-gold walls and shelves stacked high with every joke imaginable.  
Tina saw a corner filled with cages of pygmy puffs and started jumping up and down, saying, "It's Arnold's family! It's  
Arnold's family!" as she clutched her own pygmy puff in her hand. Caroline and the others refrained from buying anything  
here, because nothing really appealed to her - dung-bombs, nose-biting teacups, and joke eggs seemed more down the alley  
of a twelve year old boy than a seventeen year old girl.  
They stepped out of the warm shop and back onto the cold street. "Is there anything else here Caroline?" Mary asked.  
"I don't think there's any more shops, just the Forbidden Journey ride," Caroline replied. "That's up in Hogwarts."  
She pointed into the distance where they could just make out the large brown turrets of a castle through the fog.  
"Dang that's a long walk," Matt remarked.  
"C'mon Universal, what the heck?" Nate complained.  
"Oh come on, I'm sure it's not going to be as long as it looks," Caroline said. Somewhat convinced, they all followed  
her up the street and over to the castle.  
However, when they got to the gates, they were shut tight. A tiny man on the other side (amazing cosplay as Professor  
Flitwick!) was pacing around, and caught eye of them. He scurried up to the gate frantically. "Who are you?" he asked in  
his squeaky, high-pitched voice. "What do you want?"  
"Uh, we wanted to go on the ride," Caroline said. "Is it not open yet?"  
"Ride? I've no idea what you're talking about, girl!" he spat, though still trying to be polite. "Hogwarts is in great  
danger. No one enters or leaves unless Dumbledore says so-"  
"God, if the ride's closed, just tell us!" Nate said. "I don't need to stand out here in the cold for five minutes  
listening to an explanation I could get in one."  
"Nate!" Jocelyn whisper-yelled to him.  
"What? It's true!" he whisper-yelled back not-so-subtly.  
Caroline turned to 'Flitwick'. "I'm so, so sorry for him. We'll, uh, we'll be leaving now." She turned to face her  
friends. "Come on guys, we'll just go and do the rest of the park and ride this later once it's open."  
They all seemed to agree, so she looked for the exit to Jurassic Park at this end of the village. After a few minutes,  
she found an arch identical to the one they'd come through in the morning, except there was a bridge on the other side.  
When Caroline passed under the arch, the temperature instantly rose and the snowfall stopped abruptly. They came across  
a second arch, this one made of large stones, and bearing the red letters 'Jurassic Park'.


	7. Chapter 7

Day 2  
10:10 A.M.

Nate stared, wide-eyed. For the first time during the whole trip, he was absolutely astonished. "Wow!" was the only  
thing he could force out of his mouth. He slowly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the large, authentic arch.  
The soothing prehistoric sound of John Williams's brilliance played softly in the background. After he'd taken his  
picture, he lead everyone into the world of John Hammond.  
The first and only thing Caroline could see on the path was the flora surrounding it; exotic plants, most of which she  
had never seen, lined the walkway. Eventually, they came to find a green-and-yellow, black-striped car with the Jurassic  
Park logo on it. It was just sitting lopsidedly on the side of the path, with no one in it, and no evidence that there  
had been anyone in it for quite a while. Caroline could swear she saw the trees behind it rustle, despite the lack of  
wind, and saw a shadow move ever-so-slightly.  
A little farther up on the path and on their left, they came across the Discovery Center: the Hub for all things  
Jurassic Park. "Ooh! Can we go in? Can we go in?" Nate asked.  
Mary shrugged. "I don't see why not. They're supposed to have some really cool simulators in there!"  
"Simulators?" Caroline asked.  
"Yeah, there's a program to see what you would look like if you were a dinosaur, they have a show every hour or so  
where they bring out a little animatronic egg and you can watch the 'dinosaur' hatch."  
"Baby dinosaur?" Tina looked up at Mary and stared with wide eyes.  
"Yeah, and you can name him!" Mary added.  
"Arnold! Arnold!" Tina cried, starting to jump again.  
"Cool, let's go!" Nate exclaimed, reaching for the door. But this door, too, was locked. "What?" he cried. "Is ANYTHING  
open here?"  
"Oh, plenty's open," an old man's voice said from behind them. They turned around to come face to face with a white-  
bearded man dressed in exotic clothes, complete with a straw hat and cane. "We've just been experiencing some technical  
difficulties in the Center, and are closing it until they are solved, that's all," the man dressed as John Hammond said.  
"Oh," Nate replied, looking down and rubbing his arm in embarrassment.  
"It's all right chap!" The man hobbled over to Nate and clapped his hand on his shoulder. "The truck tour's been   
closed ever since the, uh, incident...But the river tour's still open!"  
"River tour?" Matt asked.  
"Incident?" Caroline added, now getting worried.  
"Oh yes, lad," 'Mr. Hammond' said, completely ignoring Caroline's comment. "I'll get you all in a raft and you'll all  
mosey on down the river while I give you a nice tour of our herbivores. It's rather unfortunate that we can't take you  
to see the carnivores too, but they told me it wasn't safe to bring guests that close to creatures that'll bite your head  
off if they see ya." He leaned in close to Nate. "'specially if they're hungry. Bahaha!" He cracked up at his own joke,  
but no one else laughed. That'd better be it, Caroline thought to herself. Just a joke. There's no way he'd take us that  
close to actual dinosaurs...come to think of it, there's no way he's managed to create real dinosaurs. No, that's just  
Universal getting their employees into character. "C'mon lads, it's this way!" he beckoned them down the path.  
They passed even more trees on their way, and Caroline began to wonder what there was to do on this Island besides the  
ride and the Discovery Center, which wasn't even open! They passed a large fossil of what looked like a triceratops on  
their left side, but once that had passed, their surroundings turned back into trees every-which-way.  
Finally, the path opened up to a small patio with a quick-service restaurant and multiple tables. "That there," 'Mr.  
Hammond' pointed with his non-cane arm. "That's the Watering Hole. Nice place to grab a quick bite to eat. Of course,  
we've still got our Burger Digs inside the Discovery Center, but that place always gets packed! And I'll tell you, I find  
this one to have much better food." He chuckled again and continued to lead them down the path.  
Eventually, they came to a small building that had no doors and a dome overhang. "That's Jurassic Outfitters. Great  
way to buy some of my merchandise after the tour. We've also got a store back at the Center called the Dinostore-" He  
stifled a laugh. "I came up with that name myself!" Still, no one else laughed.  
At last,t hey came to a large hedge that opened up to a river. There was already a raft waiting for them. "Ah, here we  
are!" He stretched out his cane-hand. "The Jurassic Park River Adventure!"  
"Wow," Nate said, staring at the authenticity and attention to detail of the raft.  
"Now, you all clamber in. It seats two people per row. Now, unfortunately, my old body can't handle this raft ride  
anymore, but I will be giving you all an audio tour from our Control Center right over there-" he pointed farther down the  
path "-and monitoring you all on a screen to make sure nothing happens. Now-" he approached the raft once everyone had  
climbed in, and pushed the safety bars down on Nate and Jocelyn, then Caroline and Matt, and finally Tina and Mary. "-the  
tour lasts for about an hour and a half but don't worry! It moves rather quickly. I think you'll enjoy it immensely." He  
beamed. Caroline could tell, even from the back of his head, that Nate was beaming back. "Let me just get over to my  
control room and you'll be off!" He scurried off down the path.  
Nate was breathing heavily with excitement. "You good?" Caroline asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.  
He nodded, still smiling brightly. "Yup! I can't wait! This is the one ride I've been wanting to do and I'm finally on  
it and-"  
"All right, lads and lasses, ya ready?" 'Mr. Hammond''s voice sounded from a speaker somewhere on the raft. They all  
cheered their response, especially Nate. "All right, and you're off!" The raft began to move slightly, climbing up the  
smallest hill.  
"Here we go!" Nate said, trying to hold in his excitement. The raft dropped down no more than five feet, the momentum  
of whch kept it going along the river.  
"Time," 'Mr. Hammond' said. "The ever-flowing river!" As they rounded the first corner, a stone arch similar to the  
one marking the entrance to the park appeared, a closed wooden gate underneath it. "Come with us now to a time before man,  
when the river flowed through a newborn world, and giants walked the earth. Welcome! To Jurassic Park!" The gate opened  
before them, and the raft floated into a lagoon where large, incredibly realistic robotic dinosaurs stood in the water,  
'eating' the vegetation around them. Caroline and Nate both took out their phones and snapped a couple of pictures and a  
video or two.  
"The ultrasaurs in this lagoon are among the largest creatures ever to walk the earth. Yet despite their awesome size,  
these gentle giants won't hurt you." The raft passed a smaller dinosaur, most definitely not an ultrasaur. "The  
styracosaurus are the most primitive of the horned dinosaurs, a group of herbivores that include protoceratops and the  
mighty triceratops." The raft passed under a stone overhang and small waterfall. "Great-armoured dinosaurs can also be  
found among the stegosaurus and friends. Any armor plating protect herbivores from the savage predators of their native  
period." The raft continued into a section made for the stegosauruses, where the large robotic beasts swung their tails  
around and even made some noises that sounded like a goat.  
Matt leaned over and whispered to Caroline in a sing-song tone, "What does the stegosaurus say?" then started to  
bleat.  
"Oh stop it!" she laughed and gently shoved him playfully as the raft moved into the next sector, where they passed  
multiple parasaurolophuses softly roaring in the water.  
"Next up on our tour is Hadrasaurus Cove." The sign bearing the words 'Hadrasaurus Cove' was straight in front of  
them, but the raft took a left turn, towards a steel gate with a sign that read 'JURASSIC PARK ANIMAL CONTROL. DANGER -  
KEEP OUT. An alarm began to ring in everyone's ears.  
Suddenly, from some the speaker on their raft, a new voice spoke. "You are entering the Raptor Containment Area.  
Please! Stay in your seat until we figure this out. Don't. Get out. Of the boat." The raft passed the authentic raptor  
fence that had been broken down and rounded a corner past a half-sunken boat. "There's a shortage in the raptor  
containment area! We have to get those people out of there!" The man screamed to someone in the control room, presumably  
'Mr. Hammond'.  
The speaker suddenly died out as they passed under a crate that was shaking violently.  
"No way!" Nate cried, looking up in amazement. As the boat passed under the crate, it dropped dramatically, barely  
missing their heads. Tina shrieked, and Caroline heard Mary shush her, telling her it was okay.  
The raft then entered a dark room and was jerked out of the water and up a ramp. The alarm was still sounding, and red  
flashing lights filled the dark tunnel, accompanied by some sparks and raptor shrieks. Caroline could swear she saw three   
or four raptors pop out and bite at the boat. A couple of them almost reached it. It was kind of freaky how realistic and  
close they were getting.  
All of a sudden, the boat leveled off and the raptor noises grew distant. They rounded a corner and came face-to-face  
with a cloud of fog, a low rumble sounding from within.  
Nate gasped, "Wicked!" as a large Tyrannosaurus Rex poked its head out of the fog, let out a deafening roar, and laid  
eyes on the raft. As it bent down to take a bite, the raft dropped suddenly. Just about everyone shrieked. They leveled  
off with a big splash and the raft continued on lazily down the river as if nothing had happened. In no more than a  
minute's time, they were back where they started and 'Mr. Hammond' was waiting for them, pacing nervously. When he spotted  
the boat, he ran up to it frantically.  
"Oh thank heavens you're all right! Are you okay? Here, let me help you out." He quickly and shakily reached for the  
lap bars and pulled each one up. "I'm so, so sorry. The tour must have malfunctioned or something. The-the gates were  
supposed to stay closed. Thank heavens the one at the end was open, or else you would've plummeted 70 feet into a steel  
wall.  
"Well that's pleasant," Caroline whispered under her breath.  
Nate, however, was still beaming. "Well, I thought the ride was amazing. The dinosaurs looked so realistic!"  
'Mr. Hammond' straightened up. "Well, I bloody well hope so! I spent almost thirty years breeding those creatures!"  
Nate backed up a step. "Whoa, man, I was saying you did a nice job!"  
"Oh," 'Mr. Hammond' said, looking down. "Sorry lad, got a bit carried away." He looked up again, smiling just like he  
had before. "Well, I'm glad you all enjoyed yourselves, and more importantly that you're all safe. Make sure to stop by  
the Jurassic Outfitters on your way out lads!" He clapped Nate on the shoulder again. "I'll see you 'round buddy?"  
"Uh, yeah sure!" Nate cried. "Uh, c'mon guys, wanna hit the shop and then scoot?"  
Mary checked her phone, and Caroline did the same. It was 11:55. "Yeah, sure," Mary said.  
Caroline turned to Nate. "Nate, isn't this the one place you wanted to visit? We have time to do more."  
"Well yeah but the Discovery Center's closed, and there's really only food and shopping. There's really not that much  
TO do." He shrugged.  
Caroline sighed. "All right, but we won't be mad if you want to stay here a little longer."  
"I just want to get a shirt." He nodded his head toward the Jurassic Outfitters store in the distance.  
"Okay, let's go, I guess."


	8. Chapter 8

Day 2  
12:15 P.M.

They were out of Jurassic Outfitters with a new shirt, hat or key-chain each by about quarter after noon. It took no more  
than five minutes to reach the arch that marked the end of this particular island. "What's next?" Caroline asked, leaning  
over to get a peek at Mary's map.  
"Uh, Toon Lagoon," Mary read. "Is there anything you guys want to do in there?" She looked up.  
"Hmm, probably just the Falls," Caroline said.  
"All right. I'll take Tina and do something while you guys ride, sound good?" Mary asked.  
"Yup."  
The transition from Jurassic Park to Toon Lagoon happened rather quickly - Caroline barely even noticed the worn grey  
rock turn into the bright yellow pavement. All around them, Popeye theme music clashed with the Dudley Do-Right theme,  
but both were topped by a 20's cartoon swing. The architecture was similar to that of Seuss Landing - very vibrant, with  
weird angles, although these angles were a little more physically possible than those in Seuss Landing. The first thing  
they walked across was a bridge, and Dudley Do-Right's Rip Saw Falls dropped down and rode under the bridge. "There it  
is!" Caroline cried. She and the others handed their bags to Mary to hold. "I think we have to walk up and around to get  
to it."  
"All right, let's go!" Matt linked with arms with Caroline and Nate, who grabbed Jocelyn's, and started to skip toward  
the ride entrance, pulling the others along with him. Caroline and Jocelyn pulled back, laughing. "Okay, okay, we'll  
walk," he said, shaking his head playfully.  
"I'll meet you guys back here in half an hour!" Mary called as she took Tina's hand and wandered down the main road.  
Matt lead the four friends down the path under the shaky, cartoon-appearing purple beams that held up the structure  
for the final drop on the ride. They passed underneath them and into a pavilion with a wooden overhang. After a long  
winding path, they entered a dark red building where even more walking ensued. Dudley's Canadian cartoon music and  
Snidely Whiplash's evil cackles surrounded them as they walked deeper into the building. The path finally emptied out into  
a boarding dock, where Snidely's voice sounded all around them. "Climb aboard, if you DARE! Mwahahahaa!" Caroline and her  
friends climbed into the log, which only sat one person per row: Matt in the front, then Nate, Jocelyn, and Caroline   
bringing up the rear. Snidely's voice cackled again. "Mwahaha! Catch me if you can!" They heard the oily squeak of an  
old lever being pulled, and the log started to move.  
Caroline looked down, and saw no lap bar or seat-belt. Oh god, this wasn't safe. "Guys?" she called in front of her. "Do  
you guys have any sort of seat-belt?"  
After a few seconds Nate answered, "No."  
"That doesn't seem safe!" she called.  
"Nothing is safe anymore!" Snidely cackled from behind them.   
The log entered a tunnel as the ride began and Jocelyn turned around to Caroline, "Lyn, these rides never have safety  
harnesses or anything. It's a log flume!"  
Caroline was at a loss for words. "Well I just thought. I-" Okay, so she was being stupid. Log flumes never had seat  
belts or lap bars. But she still had that nagging feeling in her brain that was twisting at her stomach and telling her  
that something just wasn't right."  
The ride gave a little tug and Caroline was forced to sit back in her seat as they began to climb up a slope. It  
leveled off to an animated Snidely kidnapping Nell Fenwick, who was begging for Dudley to save her. Snidely ran off with  
the girl draped over his shoulder as they climbed up yet another hill, and dropped down a few feet into the open. The log  
twisted and turned around multiple scenes of Dudley trying to save Nell, and Snidely trying to stop him. The log drifted  
into a tunnel where Snidely had planted some dynamite. Caroline jumped as she heard an explosion behind her. Did that  
actually just blow up? But she didn't have enough time to look behind her; the log was moving much too quickly, and they  
were out of the tunnel and out into the open before she knew it. This happened two or three times, as Dudley ran through  
the scenes looking for his horse and trying to save Nell at the same time. There were quite a few drops, but nothing too  
high. "When's the drop?" Caroline called up as they rounded another corner and started up the largest hill she'd seen so  
far on the ride.  
"Anytime soon, I think!" Matt called back. They passed barrels of TNT, and then rounded a corner and into another  
small tunnel. Before Caroline knew it, they were looming over a 75 foot drop, and then plummeting down it into a dynamite  
shack, which also seemed to blow up after they went through. However, Caroline didn't pay much attention to the  
combustion behind her because she had just gotten soaked!  
"Gah! We forgot our ponchos!" Nate cried, trying to air out his shirt and failing miserably.  
"Mary has our bags with other shirts we've bought!" Jocelyn suggested as she tried the same method as Nate.  
"Good idea," Matt said.  
They got off the ride and walked back to where they were supposed to meet Mary and Tina. The two were already waiting  
for them, and when Mary saw how wet they were, she looked at them with slight disappointment, but mostly amusement.  
"You guys know we bought ponchos for a reason right?" she asked, laughing to herself.  
Caroline looked at her sarcastically. "No, I thought they were for the Gringotts ride."  
Mary laughed again as she handed them their bags.  
"Where's the nearest bathroom?" Jocelyn asked.  
"Uh, right over there," Mary pointed to the nearest building to their left, which bore a sign reading 'Gasoline Alley  
Restrooms'. "But, you guys, we're literally the only ones here. You can change here if you want to be quicker."  
Matt and Nate accepted her offer, taking off their shirts almost immediately. Matt slipped on an exotic shirt he'd  
picked up in the Lost Continent, and Nate put on the shirt he bought in Jurassic Park.  
However, Jocelyn and Caroline strutted over to the bathrooms to change with a little more privacy. Caroline, no doubt,  
threw on a Ravenclaw shirt she had purchased in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Jocelyn changed into a Wonder Woman   
shirt she'd purchased online before they had left for vacation.  
When they rejoined the group, Caroline noticed that Mary was bearing a new Betty Boop pin on her chest. Mary was  
conversing with Matt and Nate, and Caroline wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying.  
"It's 1:00," she finally heard Mary say. "And Tina's starving." She noticed that Caroline and Jocelyn had returned,  
and faced them. "What do you guys say we go pick up lunch at Blondie's, and then head over to the Marvel island?"  
"Yeah, sounds good," Caroline shrugged.  
"Wait, what's Blondie's?" Nate asked.  
"It's a deli," Mary replied. "They've got all kinds of fresh meats, cheeses, veggies, and dressings. They have made-  
to-order subs and sandwiches, including the famous 'Dagwood' sandwich."  
"Mm, not sure what that is but it sounds delicious!" Nate licked his lips. And it was! It was a multi-layered sandwich  
piled high with all different kinds of bread, meat, vegetables and dressing. Caroline was never a huge fan of deli  
sandwiches, but she had to admit, this one was pretty damn good.  
After they paid the waiter, who for whatever reason was a small blond child, Mary checked her watch. "It's almost  
quarter after one, guys. Let's just hit Marvel's Superhero Island, and we can be out of here by 2."  
"A'ight," Nate said, picking up his bag as he stood up. The others did the same, following him and Mary out of the  
restaurant and off of the Island.


	9. Chapter 9

Day 2  
1:20 P.M.

Hard rock music filled Caroline's ears as they walked down the streets of Marvel's Superhero Island. This section of the park looked like it was taken straight out of New York City. There were ice cream shops and comic book stores lining the street on both sides. Staff dressed as superheros strolled the block, although they were the only ones there - no guests.  
Spiderman walked past them. "Wassup guys!?" He held up a hand and high-fived Nate and Matt.  
"How you doin, Spidey!?" Matt asked.   
"City's been crime-free all week... it's great!" the worker responded.  
"Sweet!"  
"Where are all the rides?" Caroline whispered to Mary.  
"I'm not sure... They're probably at the other end of the Island."  
Caroline shrugged as they continued walking down the street. Around the corner, she spotted the Islands of Adventure lighthouse that marked the entrance to the park. This was the exit. They could leave and go back to their hotel-  
The lighthouse remained in the distance as they walked the main path. The sun also got lower in the horizon quicker. Something was not right. The company reached the end of the street in Marvel's Superhero Island, where the fork in the road leading to the Port of Entry and Seuss Landing was supposed to be. The problem was, it wasn't there. There was a stone wall where the Port of Entry should have been. Now, the only way to go was back into Seuss Landing.  
"Something's not right," Matt said, stopping in his tracks.  
"That's what I've been saying this whole time!" Caroline cried, throwing her arms up.  
"No, no, maybe there was just a section we missed on the map," Nate said.  
Caroline smacked her forehead. "No, guys, that," she pointed to the rock wall, "is where we came through, and now it's disappeared. We can't get out."  
"Well we can't just stay here forever," Matt replied coolly. "There's only one way to go."  
"Seuss Land!" Tina shrieked.  
Caroline sighed as they approached Seuss Landing for the second time, the sun now completely below the horizon. Of all the places to have to go back to, it had to be this place. She didn't know how much more of this music she could take.  
However, when they passed under the lit-up arch, she did not hear any frivolous music. The once-cheerful tune had been slowed down ever-so-slightly, and played in two different minor keys at the same time. It gave the dark, colorful park an eerie feeling, similar to that of an abandoned amusement park.  
As they passed the Caro-Seuss-el, Caroline noticed something strange: the animals were all gone. She tried to shake it off and keep up with the group as they walked ahead.   
Something like thunder sounded in the distance. The ground shook. The lights in all the shops flickered. Everyone stopped walking and pushed to the side of the road. Caroline could just make out something large in the distance charging toward them. As it got closer, she identified it as not one creature, but all of the creatures from the Caro-Seuss-el. The stampede was confined to only the road, so Caroline presumed she'd be safe off on the side.  
"Animals!" Tina cooed, running out into the road and facing the horde.  
"Tina!" Mary shouted, running forward to grab her. She got off the road just as the stampede reached them.  
Mary cradled Tina close and kissed her forehead. "Don't run off like that, you gave me a heart attack! Don't ever do that again. Okay?" Tina nodded. Mary set her down and looked at Caroline. "How are we going to get out of here?"  
"I don't - Mary!" Mary whipped around to see Tina already having crossed the street and waddling over to the Cat in the Hat ride, where a scraggly old 'cat in the hat' was beckoning Tina.  
"Tina!" Mary shouted as she reached the cat and he picked her up and carried her inside. She started to cross the street but bars covered the door, locking it with extreme security. Mary pounded on the door, trying to pry the bars apart, with little success.  
Caroline looked up at the building, and saw a light turn on on the second floor. She watched it curiously, her stomach churning. The Cat in the Hat came into view, carrying a giggling Tina. He laid her on a table, still in view. Then, Caroline saw the Things, except they were much bigger and mutilated. The two of them converged on Tina, then tip their heads down. The giggles soon turn to blood-curdling shrieks, and Caroline saw one of the Things lift up a small bloodied leg. She couldn't take her eyes away. She couldn't even scream. None of them could. Then, the Cat in the Hat pulled out his own utensils - a fork and a knife - and dug in. The screams died after a couple of minutes. "Tina," Caroline whispered. The Cat and the Things turned their mutated heads toward the window and locked eyes with everyone who was left. Then, the lights went out. Footsteps sounded coming down the stairs.  
"Guys, we gotta go!" Matt cried. "Come on, we've gotta go!" Jocelyn and Nate responded, but Caroline and Mary were still staring at the building in disbelief. "Caroline!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "Mary!" He pulled her, too, just as the door opened. Caroline did not look back; as soon as the door opened, she bolted. They sped out of Seuss Landing, the image of Tina being eaten flashing in Caroline's head. The Port of Entry was still missing. They stopped in Marvel Superhero Island.  
"Tina!" Mary cried. "Tina!!"  
"Mary, Mary!" Caroline tried to quiet Mary down. "Mary, stop! Mary, there's nothing we can do!... She's gone."  
"I was supposed to take care of you guys," she whispered. "I promised your mom I would keep you safe."  
Caroline sniffled. "It's not your fault, there was nothing you could've done."  
Mary did not reply. Thunder rumbled, in the sky this time.   
"Mary, let's go," Matt said. Lightning struck much too close for Caroline's liking.  
"Mary," Matt repeated. "Let's go."  
Suddenly, a figure appeared down the street. Caroline eyed him suspiciously. Matt looked at the man, and turned back to Mary, eyes wide. "Mary, we have to go! It's not safe here!" He looked back at the man, who had started walking toward them. "Mary come on!"  
"Matt," Caroline said slowly. "Who is that?"  
"Doctor Doom," Matt replied, short of breath. "Look, I have no idea what's going on here, but after what happened to Tina with children's book characters, I don't want to guess what actual comic book villains will do."  
Caroline's breath caught in her throat. Villain? She looked at Mary. "Come on! We have to leave!" she shrieked. A gust of wind blew, growing stronger by the second.  
"Tina," Mary whispered to herself. "Oh, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm so dead."  
The Doctor was no longer in sight.  
"Mary!" Caroline tried to pull her up, but she would not budge.  
Suddenly, a mental arm wrapped around Mary's neck. Caroline looked up to see Doctor Doom staring into her eyes. Then, he disappeared, taking Mary with him. "No!"  
The wind died down and Caroline stood up, looking around.  
"There!" Matt pointed up at the lighthouse. He and Caroline slowly approached it - as close as they could get. Doctor Doom was standing at the top, Mary in one hand, a rampuri blade in the other.  
"No!" Caroline screamed. "Mary!"  
Mary didn't respond. She just smiled as the Doctor raised the blade to her throat and slit it. He let her body go, and she tumbled all the way down the lighthouse into wood that was inaccessible.  
"Caroline, we can't stay," Matt said before Caroline could move. "There's nothing we can do but run." He grabbed her hand and she didn't resist his pull. They followed Nate and Jocelyn, who had already started running.


	10. Chapter 10

Day 2  
1:35 P.M.

The remaining four cut right through Toon Lagoon. Caroline wasn't about to deal with murderous, deformed children's characters again, so they pushed right into Jurassic Park.  
It was still abandoned like before, but was much more creepy at night. The rustling bushes were much more frightening than they had been in the day.   
Nothing and no one showed itself, but Caroline felt a million eyes on her as they slowly made their way through the dark, narrow, winding path.  
Something thumped in the distance. Caroline jumped.  
"Sshh," Matt said, putting his arm around her shoulder. "It was really far away. There's no way to tell what it was, but it's not gonna get us."  
"You don't know that," Caroline whispered.  
Matt looked down. "No, I don't."  
Thump. This one was a little closer. Caroline tensed up. Matt sensed this and rubbed her shoulder. "It's okay, it was still far away. Look! There's the sign for the River Adventure. We're halfway there."  
"Wait, what's up with that though?" Nate veered off of the path to examine the gate. It had been opened and torn to shreds. Caroline wasn't sure which one came first. "Isn't this supposed to be closed?" He moved the remaining piece of wood on the hinges back and forth. It squeaked. Some sort of animal responded to the sound with a shriek in the distance.  
Matt held out his hand. "Nate."   
Nate got the message and released the gate. "Ugh, I can't see anything here!" He reached into his pocket and fumbled around.   
"Guys, if everything in this island is coming alive, or whatever," Jocelyn said as Nate pulled out his phone, "this gate held in all the dinosaurs... Does that mean-?"  
"Nate!" Matt whisper-yelled as Nate turns on his phone's flashlight.  
"It's okay!" Nate replied. "See? There's nothing here, and now we can see. Let's just keep walking." He turned away and started walking. Not wanting to leave their only source of light, the others followed.  
After a few meters, something rustled loudly in the bushes. "What is-?" Nate tipped his light at a downward angle and walked to the bush.  
"Nate, get away from there!" Matt whisper-yelled. Nate ignored him, and peeled apart the bushes. He came face-to-face with a thick beige skin.  
Caroline gasped, but Matt quickly covered her mouth. He held out his free arm, and Jocelyn slowly made her way over.  
The Tyrannosaurus Rex in front of Nate took a huge whiff of the human-flesh scent underneath him and growled, bearing his teeth slightly. Nate, in shock, dropped his phone, flashlight-up.  
The creature roared, angered by the sudden bright light. Nate couldn't move; even if he wasn't in shock, the creature opened its jaws and closed them on Nate so quickly, he wouldn't have been able to run. It lifted its head up and chewed twice, the tranquilizing sound of crunching bone echoing in Caroline's ears. She wanted to scream. Matt tightened his grip on her mouth. She wouldn't have screamed anyway. As much as she wanted to, she knew all she could do was watch Nate get devoured.  
The Tyrannosaurus Rex swallowed his snack and looked in the general direction of Caroline, Matt, and Jocelyn. Nate's blood dripped from its jaws, and his phone's flashlight was still shining up on the dinosaur's chin, giving it the appearance of a camp counselor telling ghost stories around the campfire.  
"On three, we move away as slowly as possible," Matt whispered, barely moving his mouth. "Make no noise or any sudden movements. Keep your eyes on that thing at all times. If we have to run, I'll tell you to run. Okay, one, two, three."  
They slowly put one foot in front of the other. Caroline did not take her eyes off of the beast, like Matt had said. It cocked its head slightly.  
"I think the flashlight's blinding it," Jocelyn whispered. Matt and Caroline followed her closely, realizing that that was true. The light was right in its eye. There was no way it could see them. Still, they remained cautious until the Jurassic Park arch was in sight.  
"There," Jocelyn said. The beast was out of sight, so they sped up a little bit, but their paces were still slower than normal. Finally, after what seemed like ages, they passed under the arch and into Hogsmeade. Jocelyn relaxed, and Matt let go of her and Caroline. "Oh, thank god," Jocelyn sighed, grinning. "We're finally out of-"  
"Avada Kedavra!" someone screamed. Jocelyn lit up green, and then fell limp, revealing none other than Bellatrix Lestrange with her wand pointed at where Jocelyn had just stood.  
Caroline didn't move. She just stared at the crazed woman before, glaring. Bella lowered her wand and turned away, smirking.  
"Jocelyn," Caroline whispered.  
"Caroline," Matt said, grabbing her hand. "We have to go."  
"Where?" she asked.  
"To-to the Lost Continent," he said.  
"And where after that?"  
"To-I-listen, I don't know, but we can't stay here."  
"Yes, I realize that, but no matter where we go, one of us is gonna die. Then the next!"  
"Caroline, we can stop this." He started walking down the village, pulling her with him.  
"Matt-" They had reached the Hogsmeade arch. She couldn't cross under. She couldn't.  
Matt crossed. He turned around and held out his hand. "Come on, Caroline."  
"No, Matt, you don't understand-"  
"Come on!" He reached forward and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her under. "See, we're fine." Still holding her hand, he started to walk down the abandoned market, with low-burning torches at each stand. When they had reached the end of the market, he turned to her. "What were you so worried about anyway? We're fine. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you."  
"Matt," Caroline said slowly. "Haven't you noticed? Once one person dies in an island, they're done. Nothing in that island can hurt them. Doctor Doom could've easily killed us. Or the T-Rex. Or Bellatrix. And now we're in a brand new island..."  
He looked at her with grave realization. Suddenly, he gasped, and blood poured out of his mouth. Caroline looked down, almost as if in a trance, to see a huge stone spear stuck through Matt's torso.  
Poseidon cackled evilly as he pulled the trident back, setting it vertical, Matt's motionless body laying at the top of the middle spike, turning everything beneath him red.  
"Matt!" Caroline shrieked. Poseidon's cackles grew louder and more menacing as the strong wind picked up again. Caroline tried to run, but could barely walk with the force on her. She stumbled into something cold and hard, and fell to her knees. "I just want this to be over!" She screamed into nothingness as the wind picked up. "I just want my friends back!" The wind got stronger, and stronger still. Then, it stopped.


	11. Chapter 11

Day   
Time

"Make a wish!" the mystic fountain said.  
"I'm gonna wish that this was all real!" Tina cried as she ran towards the fountain.  
No way. "No!" Caroline cried, grabbing her sister.  
"Caroline!" Mary scolded.  
Caroline looked at Mary. "Trust me." She turned back to Tina. "Maybe you shouldn't wish for something that big. Is there anything else you want?"  
Tina nodded, grinning. "Okay, let's go." She walked her sister up to the fountain.  
"I want a giant pink stuffed unicorn!" Tina cried.  
"Tina's wish has been granted," the fountain boomed. "It awaits on the other side." She ran around to the back and picked up a large pink, stuffed unicorn. She hugged it dearly. Caroline lead her back to the group.  
"Okay, well, it's getting a little late," Mary said. "We should get going."  
"Sounds good to me," Caroline replied. They started to head back the way they'd come.  
"Narrowly escaped that one, didn't we?" Matt whispered.  
"Yeah," Caroline said. "You remember?"  
"Yeah. I mean... I don't know why no one else does."  
"Maybe because we were the only ones who knew, like how it worked, sort of," Caroline trailed off.  
"I guess," Matt said. "I mean, what better explanation do we have?"  
Caroline shrugged.  
They made their way into Seuss Landing, and the upbeat music started playing. All Caroline could hear, however, was the demented, twisted version from nighttime.  
"You hear it too?" Matt asked.  
"I don't think I can ever unhear it," Caroline replied.  
They passed the Cat in the Hat ride, and Caroline looked up at the second-floor window to see a cute cat animatronic with Thing 1 and Thing 2 animatronics happily dining.  
Finally, they reached the Port of Entry. Matt and Caroline looked at each other and smiled with relief. It was here!  
They walked right out of the park, now crawling with visitors. Caroline sighed with relief. "We did it."  
Matt reached out his arms and hugged her. "Did what?" Mary asked. She turned around. "What-?"  
Caroline and Matt held each other in an embrace for what seemed like ages. "We did it," Caroline whispered.  
Matt planted a kiss on her cheek. "We did it," he repeated.  
"Hey!" Mary called. "Kind of on a schedule here!" The two broke apart.  
"I want to unsee all of that," Caroline said.  
"I don't think we ever will."  
"Me neither."  
"Caroline!"  
"Come on, let's go." She and Matt started walking, catching up with Mary and the rest of the group as they left Universal.


End file.
